The Center's Staff

The Rev. C. Douglas Smith - Executive Director

Doug is the Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy working to "build a more just and compassionate Commonwealth" on behalf of a unique Christian, Jewish, and Islamic partnership in Virginia.

As an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Doug has served as a pastor, church builder, coordinator of mission volunteers, and consultative staff with Week of Compassion, the relief and development fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since 1999. He was formerly on staff with the World Council of Churches in Geneva, and until recently was the Senior Web Strategist for the country’s largest interfaith media producing organization, FaithandValues.com.

He is a graduate of James Madison University (B.S.), Lexington Theological Seminary (M.Div.). He was recently named a 2005 Sorensen Fellow by the University of Virginia with the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership program, and is a graduate of the Citizen's Planning Academy in Hanover County, Virginia.

Rev. Smith has been on the Heifer International board since 1999 and serves as Vice-chair of the Board or Directors. He is also a former member of the World Council of Churches' US Decade to Overcome Violence Committee planning events focused on reconciliation and non-violence, sits on the board of the Virginia Fair Trial Project, and is an active participant in Rotary International. He was recently named one of James Madison University's "World Changers" among alumni, professors, and students, on the Top 40 under 40 list published by Style Weekly, and accepted the Richmond History Makers award from the Valentine History Museum.

When not working, Doug and his wife Cindy live in Mechanicsville, Virginia. When not filling the pulpits of congregations around Virginia, they attend Seventh Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Richmond - curiously located on the corner of Malvern and Grove in Richmond.

Media Images
High Resolution Image at Centenary UMC (5.9MB) of Doug <click>
High Resolution Image at UVA (B&W) <click>

Michael Cassidy - Executive Director, The Commonwealth Institute

Michael Cassidy is the Executive Director of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, a non-profit think tank focused on providing independent research, analysis, and public education on budget and tax issues, with emphasis on the impact of fiscal decisions on low- and moderate-income Virginians. Before joining The Commonwealth Institute, Michael conducted program evaluations as an analyst at the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget. He also worked for several years as a budget analyst at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget where he handled policy development, regulatory and legislative review, and budgetary process and execution for a wide variety of social policy programs. He began his career in tax policy for the federal government and also worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in their government consulting practice.

Michael graduated from Georgetown University, and has a master's degree in public policy from the College of William and Mary, where he was a Thomas Jefferson Fellow.

Ryan Rinn - Interim Director, A More Perfect Union

Ryan Rinn is a graduate of the University of Richmond with degrees (B.A.) in Rhetoric and Communication Studies and Political Science.

He recently returned from a Global Volunteers service project in Lima, Peru where he worked at the largest children’s home in South America teaching English. This experience changed his life and led Ryan to seek out a fulfilling and meaningful opportunity at home. The mission statement of the Virginia Interfaith Center has been his motivation since that point. He is deeply committed to reducing poverty and helping the citizens of Virginia find a space and voice through faith. He travels throughout the commonwealth to meet with and organize faith communities about the issues facing Virginia’s marginalized populations.

In his down time, Ryan enjoys going fishing. He likes to read, write poetry, and listens to all types of music.

Rev. Pat Watkins - Director, Virginia Interfaith Power and Light

Pat Watkins is an ordained elder in the VA Conference of the United Methodist Church, having served churches in the Lynchburg District. He and his wife, Denise Honeycutt, served as missionaries in Nigeria with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. He is currently under appointment to the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy as the Environmental Policy Coordinator. Pat is in the process of completing a Masters Degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis on Theology. He is a member of the United Methodist Women’s Division Green Team.

Pat tries to live out his passion for God’s creation by living his life in such a way as to make a smaller footprint on God’s earth. His passion is to raise the awareness, particularly among people of faith, that there is a connection between faith and taking care of God’s creation. He and Denise live in Richmond.

Sara Okos - Policy Analyst

Sara Okos is the Institute's Policy Analyst. Sara analyzes and conducts research on a wide array of state fiscal policies including tax policies, the overall budget process and health care.
Prior to joining The Commonwealth Institute, Sara worked for the Governor's office in Michigan. She has a master's degree in public policy from William and Mary and a bachelor's degree from Notre Dame.