Our Mission
We ADVISE the decision makers.
We work with the people writing and living under the law, providing qualitative, non-legal advisory services. FLAG works directly with public offices and private organizations navigating legislation that affects the people they serve or the businesses they run—helping decision-makers actually understand what's in a bill before they vote on it, adopt it, or get caught flat-footed by it.
We TEACH the people.
Legislation is written to be skimmed by most, understood by few—that's exactly what lets bad provisions survive. We teach everyday people, leaders in communities and decision makers how to read and understand legislation using the PULSE Framework. PULSE is a simple, repeatable framework anyone can learn once and use for the rest of their life to evaluate any piece of legislation, without needing a law degree or a party to tell them what to think. No spin. No talking points. Just the text, and what it actually does.
We SHAPE the future.
We don’t just critique governance from the sidelines—we work directly with decision-makers to draft high-integrity policy, audit budgets, and refine long-term council visions. Using the PULSE Framework, we eliminate hidden structural risks and ensure every initiative delivers transparent, measurable results for the public good.
Meet Our Team
Michael Sparrow
Executive Director
Michael Sparrow is the Founder and Executive Director of FLAG. A seasoned leader with a multifaceted background spanning finance, global education, and policy reform, Michael previously managed a financial office in the Chicagoland area and served as a Global Sales Coach for Pearson, one of the world's largest educational entities.
Michael’s passion for systemic transparency led him to author Illinois HB 2795, a legislative effort backed by the Better Government Association, and his commentary on ethics and conflicts of interest has been featured in the Chicago Sun-Times. His academic foundation includes studies at Northern Illinois University, where he met FLAG’s Legislative Director, Tristan Price, as well as executive and graduate coursework at Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, The Wharton School, and King’s College London in International Affairs.
Before his career in policy and business, Michael spent years as a touring musician, a creative chapter that shaped his dynamic approach to engagement and leadership. He currently resides in London with his partner and their dog. Outside of building FLAG, he enjoys exploring the UK, spending time with family, listening to satirical 80s classics like Peter Gabriel’s "Big Time," and cultivating his own figurative and literal garden - a passion inspired by his favorite literary work, Voltaire’s Candide.
Tristan Price
Legislative Director
Tristan Price is a regulator and economist living in Chicago, IL. He studied econometric statistics and political science at Northern Illinois University, later attending DePaul University College of Law. He got bitten by the ethics-in-finance bug during the 07-08 crisis, moving away from the computer sciences; though he still enjoys tinkering with hardware. Before transitioning to law, Tristan worked in finance specializing in complex vehicles and contracts.
He has a soft spot for a well made variable group annuity. Leveraging this expertise, he worked in mass torts and corporate insurance law prior to his current role. He and his partner have three cats, lots of books, and not enough art on the walls. In his spare time you can find Tristan wandering around Rogers Park lost in thought, or playing a “dad-core” single-player RPG. His favorite thinkers are Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, and Voltaire. His favorite color is green.