WRITERS

WILL HILD – Editor in Chief

Will Hild is the Executive Director of Consumers’ Research. Will has a decade of non-profit, legal and public policy experience. Prior to joining CR, Will served as the Deputy Director of the Regulatory Transparency Project. Before that, he worked at the Philanthropy Roundtable as the Director of External Affairs for the Culture of Freedom Initiative, and as the Chief Operating Officer of that Initiative when it grew to become a separate organization. He helped co-found the public interest law firm, Cause of Action, and served as the firm’s acting communications director for nearly a year.

Will received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida. He is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Will resides in Bethesda, MD, with his wife Cheryl, a practicing OB/GYN, and their son Liam.

CHRISTIAN WHITTLE – Deputy Editor

Christian Whittle is an Associate Editor at Consumers’ Research and leads CR’s internship program. In addition to managing and editing daily content, he oversees CR’s social media initiatives, writes the occasional consumer-focused editorial, and assists in the production of public interest comments. Prior to Consumers’ Research, Christian worked as a staff writer for the Santa Barbara News-Press. There he covered business news in Santa Barbara County, local government, and nonprofits. A DMV native and George Washington University alum, he completed a fellowship with the National Journalism Center and worked in podcasting and video production at Radio America. Christian lives in DC with his wife.

BEAU BRUNSON – Contributor

Beau Brunson is the Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Consumers’ Research and leads CR’s engagement on legislation and regulation. His work includes research on financial product sandboxes, public interest comments on modernizing banking and energy regulations, and numerous consumer-focused editorials on issues pertaining to consumer protection, financial services, technology, and copyright issues. Prior to Consumers’ Research, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for a Member of Congress serving on the House Committee on Financial Services and Chairman’s Designee to the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology Subcommittee on the Environment. A native Texan, Beau is forever seeking the perfect method to smoke a beef brisket. He graduated from Texas A&M and now lives in Maryland with his wife and three beautiful children.

TOM MILLER – Contributor

Tom Miller, Jr. is a Senior Research Fellow at Consumers’ Research. He is a Professor of Finance and inaugural holder of the Jack R. Lee Chair in Financial Institutions and Consumer Finance at Mississippi State University. With its focus on Consumer Finance, notably installment credit products, the Lee Chair is the first of its kind. He currently serves as a member of the Academic Research Council at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Professor Miller has several ongoing research projects on various topics in small-dollar loans. His current research now includes projects on payday loans and on small-dollar installment loans.

Miller is a frequent speaker at national conferences and conventions. His overall topics generally focus on the value to consumers of maintaining access to small-dollar credit products, the value of competition in small-dollar credit products, and educating policymakers about how small-dollar credit products work.

Miller has had, and maintains, a long-standing interest in derivative securities and investments. He has published numerous scholarly peer-reviewed articles on various topics in derivative securities. In addition, he is the author of How Do Small-Dollar Nonbank Loans Work? and co-author (with Bradford D. Jordan and Steve Dolvin) of Fundamentals of Investments: Valuation and Management, 9th ed. (McGraw-Hill/Irwin). He is also co-author (with David Dubofsky) of Derivatives: Valuation and Risk Management (Oxford University Press).

Miller received his Ph.D. in finance from the University of Washington (Seattle) and his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in applied economics from Montana State University. In his off hours, he enjoys playing jazz and blues on the tenor saxophone.

NATHALIE VOIT – Staff Writer

Nathalie is a graduate of the University of Florida (Go Gators!) where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History, with a minor in Philosophy. In the near future she hopes to attend graduate school and obtain an MA in International Relations, possibly in Geneva. Nathalie is an avid reader, runner, and nature enthusiast with roots in Switzerland and Ecuador.

NATALIE DECOSTE – Contributor

Natalie DeCoste is a senior at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. There she is pursuing a degree in Political Science with a minor in Rhetoric & Composition. Natalie spends her free time serving on her college’s Academic Governance Council, as the Directors of Academic Affairs for the Student Government, she is a JD Power Center Ambassador and the captain of her college’s Moot Court team.

JOSEPH CHALFANT – Contributor

Joseph Chalfant is an intern for Consumers’ Research and a Political Science major at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He serves as the president of Lone Conservative, America’s largest conservative student commentary website. He has been featured in El American and NewsBusters, and was a 2019 America’s Future Writing Fellow.

EMMA NITZSCHE – Contributor

Emma Nitzsche is Consumers’ Research intern and a recent graduate of Grove City College with a degree in political science and pre-law. While in college, Emma volunteered with a local prison ministry and served as the Executive Articles Editor for The Grove City College Journal of Law & Public Policy. Before joining Consumers’ Research, she worked as a legal intern at the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. In the fall, Emma will start her first year of law school at the University of Kentucky. Her hobbies include reading nonfiction and beating all her friends at UNO.

NOAH ROTHSTEIN – Contributor

Noah Rothstein is a Consumers’ Research intern and a senior at The George Washington University in Washington, DC pursuing a degree in political science with a minor in geography. His experience includes interning twice at the House of Representatives and volunteering for two 2020 congressional reelection campaigns. In his free time, Noah is involved with the GW College Republicans, the GW Quiz Bowl Team, and the GW University Singers. He is originally from Long Island, but he is currently living in the DMV area.

LEONARD ROBINSON – Contributor

Leonard Robinson writes on consumer topics and their intersection with business, technology, travel, housing, health, and regulation. Prior to joining Consumers Bulletin, he was an editorial intern at the Baltimore Business Journal and Reason. He covered the North Carolina state legislature for Carolina Journal in 2019. A senior at the University of Baltimore, he served as editor-in-chief of the student news publication, The Sting, from August 2019- December 2020. He lives in Baltimore where he enjoys reading, typewriters, and finding any excuse to travel.

DAVID DIMOLFETTA – Contributor

David DiMolfetta is a former intern for Consumers’ Research. He studies business analytics and journalism at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. David is also published in The Jerusalem Post and S&P Global Market Intelligence.