Michele Mattingly is a research associate at the Fiscal Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research and education organization that focuses on the broad range of tax, budget, economic and related public policy issues that affect the quality of life and the economic well-being of New York City and State residents. She was a member of the advisory committee for the 2010 New York City Self-Sufficiency Standard. She is a doctoral candidate in economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.