Who We Are
Michael Udell is the founder and Managing Member of District Economics Group, LLC. The company, which was started in 2013, focuses on helping clients navigate the data and economics issues of Congressional legislative proposals. Mike’s career in federal tax policy began in 1985 at the IRS estimating the tax gap using the Taxpayer Compliance Measurement Program data and continued from 1991 through 2008 at the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) providing revenue estimates of federal tax legislation. While at the JCT, he developed several estimating models for excise taxes, the estate and gift taxes, and individual income taxes. During that time he also was responsible for revenue estimates for tax compliance proposals, including the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 and economic substance legislation. At JCT, he worked closely with the Congressional Budget Office to coordinate the Joint Committee’s micro-simulation model for individual income taxes with the CBO’s model of health care expenditures to account for identity theft in preparation for the consideration of Congressional legislation. From 2009 through 2012 Mike was a senior manager at Ernst & Young LLP where he launched the firm’s practice in the medical device excise tax.
Mike earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD from Caltech.
Danielle Sockin is a Senior Analyst at District Economics Group where she contributes to the development and application of customized models for clients, providing research assistance as well as data analysis.
Prior to working at DEG, Danielle held various internships in Washington, DC. As an intern with the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, she researched policy issues in education, health care, trade, and employment. While interning with the Treasury’s Markets Room, she monitored market response to and coverage of geopolitical events, with analytical work that spanned both domestic and international affairs. She also interned with the Department of State’s Office of Monetary Affairs where she conducted an extensive data analysis of international fiscal transparency developments.
Danielle graduated summa cum laude from Stony Brook University’s Honors College. She received a B.S. with honors in Applied Mathematics and Statistics.
Karl Nichols an Analyst at District Economics Group where he works in data capture and model development with the DEG team. Karl is experienced in real estate data analysis using the CoStar platform. Karl came to DEG from Furman University where he graduated with a B.A. in Economics.