William (Denny) Dennis, Jr. - Senior Research Fellow
Dennis is the senior research fellow, who recently celebrated 25 years with NFIB. He has served as president of the International Council for Small Business. Besides managing the research program of the NFIB Research Foundation, his responsibilities include long-term policy planning, policy conferences and annual surveys. He has testified numerous times before congressional committees regarding key small-business issues like availability of credit and health care. Recently he was honored by the Small Business Administration with the Special Advocacy Award, which recognized him as "one of small business' most committed advocates, with considerable expertise in small business research."
William C. Dunkelberg - Chief Economist
Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Business since 1971, Dunkelberg is a nationally known authority on small business, entrepreneurship, consumer behavior and consumer credit and government policy. He was reported by the New York Times to be one of four final candidates for vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in 1981, served as an adviser to the secretary of Commerce, and was appointed to the Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve System in 1989 for a two-year term. He is a past president and afellow of the National Association of Business Economists [NABE]. He was appointed to the Census Advisory Committee representing the American Economic Association in 1992 and again in 1995, serving as chair, and served on the board of the National Bureau of Economic Research from 1996 to 1999. He is an elected member of the Conference of Business Economists and the National Business Economic Issues Council.
Dunkelberg received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan. He serves on the boards of NCO Group, ADVANTA Corp. (1989-2001), Active-e Solutions, Penn Tackle Mfg., Made4me.com (founder), the Global Interdependence Center (Chair), the Credit Research Center (Georgetown University), the Commonwealth Foundation, the International Visitors Council, The Ben Franklin Innovation Investment Advisory Committee, the Laboratory for Student Success, and the Pennsylvania Council on Economic Education.
Dunkelberg has served as a regional judge for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program for 10 years and as a member of the board of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
Bruce D. Phillips - Senior Fellow in Regulatory Studies
Bruce D. Phillips was appointed senior fellow in Regulatory Studies at the NFIB Research Foundation in October 2000. He analyzes the impacts of regulations on small firms using a new proprietary model that measures both direct and indirect regulatory costs. In addition, Phillips works in various applied policy areas, using both NFIB surveys and other government data to study policy areas such as labor regulations, health-care costs and tax policies as they affect small firms. Other analyses involve working with NFIB state directors and handling media inquiries.
From 1979 to 2000, Phillips served in a variety of capacities with the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration, directing contract research and building both private and census-based databases to study the structure of small firms. From 1993 to 2000, he was the director of Advocacy's Office of Economic Research, supervising a staff and budget that prepared the annual State of Small Business report for Congress. His efforts also helped federal agencies comply with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement and Fairness Act of 1996.
Phillips has published over 35 articles about small-business owners in books and journals. Much of his scholarly work has concentrated on the role of small firms in job creation, business failure, business formation and more recently, e-commerce and the high technology and regulatory sectors. Phillips was also a senior professorial lecturer in the School of Business Administration at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., from 1985 to 1994.
Phillips received a bachelor's degree in economics (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Queens College of the City University of New York. He completed his M.A. in economics, as well as his doctoral studies, at the University of Maryland.
Holly Wade - Policy Analyst
Holly Wade is a policy analyst with the National Federation of Independent Business. As a policy analyst, Wade provides in-depth research and analysis of public policy issues with a focus on privacy and technology. In addition, she produces the Small Business Economic Trends on a monthly basis, working with the chief economist to verify data and edit text.
Wade worked with NFIB until 2002, but left briefly to pursue her Master of Public Policy at the University of Denver, in Denver, Colo. She also completed an internship with the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver, Colo., during her absence.
With a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and sociology from the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash., Wade currently resides in Washington, D.C.
