Claire Kittle Dixon

From SourceWatch
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Dixon.jpeg

Claire Kittle Dixon is the executive director of Talent Market, a limited liability company (LLC) owned by DonorsTrust. DonorsTrust is a donor advised fund favored by the billionaire Koch network of ultra-wealthy right-wingers for its easy cloaking of donations to political allies. Talent Market was founded in 2009 by former President and CEO of DonorsTrust Whitney Ball, President of the State Policy Network (SPN) Tracie Sharp, and Claire Kittle Dixon.[1]

Ties to the State Policy Network

Claire Kittle Dixon has deep ties to the State Policy Network (SPN). She cofounded Talent Market with SPN's President Tracie Sharp. DonorsTrust, which owns Talent Market, is a member of SPN.[1] In addition, SPN has contributed a total of $10,000 to Talent Market in 2013 and 2015.

Talent Market's client list includes many SPN members and SPN itself.[2]

Dixon served on the board of the Bastiat Society between 2011 and 2015, during which time it was a member of SPN.[3] Dixon also was the Vice President and Director of Research at the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a member of SPN, in 2008 and 2009.[3]

Dixon Delivers Speech at 2015 SPN Meeting

Dixon gave a talk entitled "Proactively Finding Talent: How To Look for Mr./Ms. Right, Right Now," at the 2015 SPN Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 1.[4]

Ties to the Koch Brothers

Claire Kittle Dixon worked for the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation as the Program Officer for Leadership and Talent Development. According to her profile, "Claire managed the hiring process for the Foundation and launched and managed two talent programs – the Koch Associate Program and the Koch Internship Program."[5]

Many of Talent Market's clients are Koch organizations or organizations the Kochs fund. Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Charles Koch Institute, Charles G. Koch Foundation, Cato Institute, Mercatus Center, and the Institute for Humane Studies have all utilized Talent Market to fill positions.

Koch Wiki

Charles Koch is the right-wing billionaire owner of Koch Industries. As one of the richest people in the world, he is a key funder of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN). In SourceWatch, key articles on Charles Koch and his late brother David include: Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, Stand Together, Koch Family Foundations, Koch Universities, and I360.

Ties to the Bradley Foundation

David Armiak reports that the Bradley Files reveal that a "Bradley accounting spreadsheet titled, “2015-1099 Vendors Summary” lists Executive Director Claire Kittle Dixon under the column “Vendor Name” and “search firm” in the column “Services.”"[1]

Also Armiak found that,

"Bradley did not contribute to Talent Market until 2015 when it needed to hire a new Vice President for External Relations. Talent Market was utilized for the search and Bradley hired Jessica F. Dean for the position. Dean also serves as President of the Bradley Impact Fund, Bradley’s own donor advised fund. Although Talent Market advertises its services as “free” on its website, Bradley gave $30,000 to Talent Market through DonorsTrust in 2015, (DonorsTrust, Grant Proposal Record, 6/2/2015).... In 2016, Bradley gave $50,000 on March 16 to Talent Market through DonorsTrust (Grant Review, Board Meeting, 2/23/16). Talent Market’s services were utilized that year to hire a new Vice President for Programs: Carl Helstrom. Talent Market promoted the hire in a May 2017 email. Bradley’s $50,000 “grant” represents over a sixth of Talent Market’s 2016 operating budget of $275,500."[1]
Bradley Files

In 2017, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), publishers of SourceWatch, launched a series of articles on the Milwaukee-based Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, exposing the inner-workings of one of America's largest right-wing foundations. 56,000 previously undisclosed documents laid bare the Bradley Foundation's highly politicized agenda. CMD detailed Bradley's efforts to map and measure right wing infrastructure nationwide, including by dismantling and defunding unions to impact state elections; bankrolling discredited spin doctor Richard Berman and his many front groups; and more.

Find the series here at ExposedbyCMD.org.

Salary Information

Claire Kittle Dixon's salary in most years is disclosed in DonorsTrust IRS filings.
2015[6]

  • Salary: $150,000

2014[7]

  • Salary: $134,968

2013[8]

  • Salary: $118,632

2012[9]

  • Salary: $107,964

2011[10]

  • Salary: $108,000

2010[11]

  • Salary: NA

2009[12]

  • Salary: NA

Contact Information

Claire Kittle Dixon
Talent Market
1490 Greenshade Way
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

Business Address
Talent Market
c/o DonorsTrust
1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 280
Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: 703-835-9933
Email: claire@talentmarket.org
Website: www.talentmarket.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talentmarket
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairekittle

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 David Armiak, Talent Market: The Libertarian Headhunting Firm Serving the Koch Network and the Bradley Foundation, ExposedbyCMD, June 28, 2017.
  2. Talent Market, VP of Development – State Policy Network – Virtual Office, Talent Market, May 30, 2017.
  3. SCHED, Proactively Finding Talent: How To Look for Mr./Ms. Right, Right Now, SCHED, October 1, 2015.
  4. Talent Market, Leadership, Talent Market, 2017.
  5. DonorsTrust, 2015 990 Form, DonorsTrust, November 14, 2016.
  6. DonorsTrust, 2014 990 Form, DonorsTrust, November 16, 2015.
  7. DonorsTrust, 2013 990 Form, DonorsTrust, November 7, 2014.
  8. DonorsTrust, 2012 990 Form, DonorsTrust, November 14, 2013.
  9. DonorsTrust, 2011 990 Form, DonorsTrust, November 14, 2012.
  10. DonorsTrust, 2010 990 Form, DonorsTrust, November 14, 2011.
  11. DonorsTrust, 2009 990 Form, DonorsTrust, August 13, 2010.