Graphic with images of the webinar presenters. Headshots feature, from left to right: Dr. Phineas Baxandall, Alyssa Fisher, and Aaron Vega.

Join the MASSCreative Action Network for a 2026 election debrief on Thursday, November 19, 2026 from 2 - 3:30 PM.

We will be joined by Dr. Phineas Baxandall (Director of Research & Policy Analysis, MassBudget), Alyssa Fisher (Chief Government Affairs Officer, Americans for the Arts), and Aaron Vega (President and CEO, Western Mass Economic Development Council), who will share their analysis of how federal and state general election results will impact the creative sector in Massachusetts.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

Dr. Phineas Baxandall has a long history as a researcher deeply involved in improving policy, especially at the state level and in Massachusetts. Since he joined MassBudget in 2015, Dr. Baxandall has served in numerous leadership capacities. In September 2023, he was named the organization’s Interim President, before returning to his role as Director of Research and Policy Analysis the following year.
His policy knowledge and advocacy acumen have been instrumental in the organization’s greatest achievements. During his tenure, Dr. Baxandall’s extensive policy expertise has ensured that MassBudget’s research and analysis, communications, advocacy, and partnership building are of the highest caliber.
Before joining MassBudget, Dr. Baxandall directed the Transportation and Tax & Budget programs for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and its network of 30 state affiliate organizations. His track record also includes work at the Taubman Center for State and Local Government and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. At Harvard he also taught for eight years for the Committee for Degrees in Social Studies, where he lectured on social policy and political economy. Dr. Baxandall earned a PhD from MIT in Political Science and a B.A. from Wesleyan University.
He has authored over 100 publications, from action-oriented policy reports, to peer-reviewed journal articles and an academic book on the political economy of unemployment. He has taken part in several government working groups and is a regular commentator in Massachusetts news outlets.
Alyssa Fisher, Chief Government Affairs Officer at Americans for the Arts, leads AFTA’s federal, state, and local advocacy strategy and shapes the organization’s national arts policy agenda. In this senior leadership role since July 2026, she builds trusted relationships with Members of Congress and federal agencies and advances the movement-building efforts that connect arts advocates across the country.
Alyssa brings more than two decades of experience across federal government, local government, Capitol Hill, and the private sector. Throughout her career, Alyssa has built strategy in complex policy environments, brought together diverse stakeholders, and driven thoughtful execution. Prior to joining AFTA, Alyssa led U.S. executive branch engagement at United Airlines. She previously directed the City of Chicago’s engagement with the federal government, bringing critical assistance and support resources during the pandemic. She has shaped the national agenda through senior roles at the White House Office of Legislative Affairs and the Office of Management and Budget. On Capitol Hill, Alyssa led appropriations for a member of Senate leadership and the Senate Appropriations Committee. She also served as policy director at a Washington, DC think tank, managing the organization’s work on labor and economic policy.

Alyssa holds a master’s in public policy from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s in political science and anthropology from the University of Chicago.
Aaron Vega became President and CEO, Western Mass Economic Development Council (EDC) at the start of 2026, succeeding Rick Sullivan in the role. Vega most recently held the position of Director of the City of Holyoke's Office of Planning and Economic Development in which he was instrumental in advancing major housing and redevelopment projects; as well as initiatives to strengthen business support and local economic planning. His career in service of community began prior to that serving from 2013 – 2021 as MA State Representative for the 5th Hampden District, as an Adjunct Political Science Professor at UMass Amherst for four years and before that for two terms as a one of Holyoke’s first Latino at-large councilors, where he served a term as Chair of the Redevelopment Committee. Vega’s passion for economic growth can also be seen in his role as a small business owner of VegaYoga & Movement Arts and VegaYoga Mobile.