SALT LAKE CITY—Sutherland Institute President and CEO Rick Larsen announced today that former Washington, D.C., congressional staffer Aaron Taylor is Sutherland’s new Executive Vice President.

“Policy eventually plays out in the arena of political debate, and Aaron’s experience on all sides of the process will serve Sutherland well,” Larsen said. “We are pleased to have him join our team.”

“I am excited to join Sutherland at such a pivotal point in its history,” Taylor said. “Having just celebrated its 25th anniversary, the Institute is poised for tremendous growth over the next decade, and I am pleased to join the leadership team to help realize that dream.”

BIO:
Aaron Taylor joined Sutherland Institute in 2020 after working in Washington, D.C., for almost a decade. He has worked in public policy, both in the private sector and in the U.S. Capitol. Taylor started his policy career working for Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on the Senate Finance Committee tax team and later for Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) managing her economic portfolio.

On the Senate Finance Committee, Taylor helped organize hearings exploring multiple areas of the federal tax code and was chosen to serve on the Joint Select Committee for Deficit Reduction, tasked with reducing the nation’s deficit.

While with Fischer’s office, Taylor was the lead staffer drafting bipartisan, optional paid-leave legislation. This legislation received multiple press inquiries and was later signed into law as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (P.L. 115-97).

Subsequently, Taylor was recruited by Grant Thornton, LLP, as director of government affairs, leading the firm’s effort to secure equitable tax reform for pass-through businesses in the United States. He guided the Foundations of Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (P.L.115-435) – requiring agency data to be accessible and agencies to develop statistical evidence to support policymaking – through the U.S. Senate and into law.

Taylor is a 2006 graduate of Brigham Young University and is completing an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology. He started his career working in the Bay Area for a private equity firm serving small-to-medium size companies throughout the Western United States.

Taylor currently lives in South Jordan with his wife and three children.

For more information:
Kelsey Witt | Communications Director
kelsey@sifreedom.org
c: 801.497.1562 (text or call)
www.sutherlandinstitute.org