Meet Our Team

Haney Hong, President & CEO

A husband, father, Reserve Naval officer, business owner, and student of citizenship, Haney Hong is President & CEO of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, President and Trustee of the San Diego Taxpayers Educational Foundation, and the Principal Officer for the SDCTA Political Action Committee. He is focused on robust citizenship engagement and firmly believes that such engagement is the first line of defense against internal and external threats to a healthy democratic society. Haney is a graduate of Stanford and Harvard Universities and sits on several nonprofit and government boards on the East and West Coasts. He teaches at Point Loma Nazarene University and the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy.

KEVIN HOVLAND, Public affairs manager

Kevin is currently a student at the University of California, San Diego, where he is in his final year studying political science. His main interests in the field are matters of public policy and the ways it shapes our local communities, and likewise how the community plays a crucial role in the policy process. Outside of work, Kevin enjoys being committed to student government on campus and exploring new hiking areas around San Diego County.

Anthony Robinson, policy analyst Intern

Anthony Robinson graduated from UCSD in 2023 with a double major in cognitive science and political science. In his free time, he enjoys playing tabletop RPGs and working with computers.

Sarah Schroeder, Policy Analyst Intern

Sarah Schroeder is a Master of Public Policy student at UCSD's school of Global Policy and Strategy and has a B.S. in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara. Over the past few years Sarah has worked in non-profit project management and community organizing, and is passionate about education policy. In her free time she enjoys cooking, hiking, and travelling.

Sara Pirzad, Policy Analyst Intern

Sara Pirzad is a Senior at UC San Diego graduating in the Spring of 2024. She is finishing her B.A. in International Studies - Economics and minor in Computational Social Science. She hopes to apply her quantitative and qualitative skills to aiding San Diego policy progression. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time in nature by going on walks and learning how to surf.

Isabella Almazan, Policy Analyst Intern

Isabella Almazan is a December 2023 graduate from UC San Diego with a B.A. in Economics. She has worked previously as a tutor and looks forward to making a deeper impact on the community with the SDCTA. In her free time, Isabella enjoys reading as well as playing the guitar.

Pauline Ramos, Policy Analyst Intern

Pauline Ramos is a 3rd year majoring in Political Science/Data Analytics and minoring in Computational Social Science at UC San Diego. She is interested in how public opinion and data analys affects the policy making process and hopes to make an impact on local politics. In her free time, she lil singing karaoke and trying out new dessert places.

Yasmeen Mohammad, Policy Analyst Intern

Yasmeen Mohammad is a third year at UC San Diego, studying International Business with a focus on Accounting. She has a history of working with students and residents as a Teaching Assistant and a Resident's Assistant. She has gained a lot from both roles, most importantly, the ability to help the community on a smaller scale, and is excited to learn more from this experience. In her free time, she enjoys going on long walks on the beach.

Izzy Hall, Policy Analyst Intern

Izzy Hall is a third year Political Science major and History minor at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. She has experience working with prospective students and families through her time as an admissions assistant and is looking forward to collaborating with local officials and voters to enhance San Diego’s policy making. In her free time she enjoys playing collegiate lacrosse, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Ryan Penkala, Data scientist

Ryan Penkala is a fourth-year student at San Diego State University with a B.A. in Economics with a specialization in Quantitative Analysis. With a passion for mathematics and machine learning, Ryan looks to leverage his skillsets and hone his analytical abilities with SDCTA. In his free time, Ryan plays guitar, studies history, plays golf, and solves Rubik’s cubes.

Sierra Kureshy, Data Science Intern

Sierra graduated from UC San Diego in 2023 with a Mathematics with Applied Science degree. She has a background in astrophysics and hopes to utilize her data science skills to make a positive impact in the San Diego community. Outside of her work, Sierra is an avid equestrian and competed in the IHSA circuit during her college career.

Shirley Wei, Data Science Intern

Shirley is a third-year student in University of California, San Diego with a B.S. in Data Science. Shirley has a great passion in machine learning and modeling and hopes to apply and improve her skillsets with SDCTA. In her free time, she loves cooking and playing golf.

Tyler Rodrigues, Data Science Intern

Tyler Rodrigues is in his fourth year at the University of California, San Diego, pursuing a degree in Business Economics. He has cultivated a strong foundation in data analysis and computer programming and is excited to utilize these skills to make an impact on local public policy. Outside of work and academia, he enjoys swimming, hiking, and finding new trendy spots for food.

Brandon Miner, Data Science Intern

Brandon Miner is attending SDSU pursuing a degree in Statistics with Emphasis in Data Science and a Minor in Mathematics. He wants to explore different data fields of interest, with a particular interest in climate change. Outside of the workplace, he likes to spend his free time going out with friends, as well as going to the gym.