Irene S. Rubin, Professor, Northern Illinois University, is a budget scholar who looked beyond the numbers to what they mean in context to those who prepare them. She earned a B.A. from Barnard (1967), an M.A. from Harvard (1969), and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago (1977). Her academic career included Lewis University (1976-1979), the Institute for Urban Studies at the University of Maryland (1980-1981), and Northern Illinois University (1981-2004) in public administration. A prolific author with widely cited articles, among her books are Running in the Red (1982), Shrinking the Federal Government (1985), Tax, Class, and Power: Municipal Budgeting in the United States (1998), Politics of Public Budgeting (1992, now in its ninth edition), and Balancing the Federal Government (2003). She served as the editor of Public Budgeting & Finance (1995-1996) and Public Administration Review (1996-1999). Among her recognitions are the Mosher Award (ASPA, 1988), the Kaufman Award (APSA, 1993), the Levine Award (ASPA/NASPAA, 1994), the Blum Award (AABPA, 1996), and a Woodrow Wilson Center fellowship (1996).