IRG Hires Top Think Tank Executive to Launch Next Wave of Conservative Reform

Jun 1, 2020 | Mentions, Press Release

Madison, Wis. — The Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) announced today that it has hired new executive leadership as it begins to launch the next wave of conservative reform, which will include legislative recommendations in the Badger State. CJ Szafir, who was previously Executive Vice President of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, will serve as President of IRG as it prepares for this next phase.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have CJ come aboard IRG. His background in policy and legislation in the think tank world will be a great asset to our organization. We look forward to seeing CJ take IRG to the next level, and move our mission forward,” said Rob McDonald, Chairman of the Board for the Institute for Reforming Government.

By hiring a new President, IRG plans to roll out new priorities that will include legislative and budget recommendations, accountability projects, and government reform policies that lawmakers can implement, in addition to its ongoing efforts to demonstrate how Wisconsin has been a national model of reform.

“I am thrilled to join the Institute for Reforming Government and work with lawmakers to advance conservative policies that will transform Wisconsin into the heart of the American Dream, where everyone has an opportunity to succeed. The next phase of IRG is exciting and has the backing of the kind of people who know what it takes to enact bold ideas that change the course of our state,” said CJ Szafir.

“I’m very grateful for everything WILL President Rick Esenberg has done for me and look forward to working with him, my former WILL colleagues, and other like-minded organizations,” Szafir continued.

Prior to joining IRG, CJ spent over seven years at WILL, where he oversaw efforts to advance school choice, limited government, and healthcare reform and – in addition to regular appearances on talk radio – had his work featured regularly in the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Washington Examiner, and countless other national and local news outlets and publications. Before WILL, he was a policy advisor to State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald in the Wisconsin Legislature.  He has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and law degree from Marquette Law School. He received a BA in Political Science from Michigan State University.

CJ is the vice president for the Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society and on the Board of Directors for HOPE Christian Schools. He and his family live in Wauwatosa, WI.

The Institute for Reforming Government is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that seeks to simplify government at every level by offering policy solutions to thought leaders in American government in the areas of tax reform, government inefficiency, and burdensome regulations. IRG’s National Honorary Chairman is former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who worked with a reform-minded legislature to turn Wisconsin around from the nation’s last economic crisis.

Learn more about the Institute for Reforming Government here.

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