ECONCON 2021

Building an Economy that Works for All of Us

October 6-7, 2021

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ECONCON IS BACK!

With the opportunity to make once-in-a-generation policy changes and transformative investments in our communities, EconCon 2021 is the perfect time to gather virtually.

Join experts, organizers, advocates, and people who power the economy to connect, learn, and share what it will take for us to build an economy that works for all of us!

REGISTER NOW

Connect with
leaders framing
our economy

Don’t miss our extraordinary slate of experts, organizers, policymakers, and thought leaders at this two-day virtual conference.
Meet The Speakers

Frequently Asked Questions

EconCon 2021 is a virtual conference where you will hear from and connect with experts, organizers, and advocates shaping our economy. Now more than ever, we need once-in-a-generation policy changes and transformative investments in our communities. And they are possible if we can marshal the political will to enact needed policy change. Come connect, learn, and share what it will take for us to build an economy that works for all of us! 

EconCon is co-hosted by Center for American Progress, Center for Popular Democracy, Community Change, Dēmos, Economic Policy Institute, Economic Security Project, Groundwork Collaborative, Omidyar Network, Roosevelt Institute, and Washington Center for Equitable Growth.

We are hosting EconCon 2021 virtually on Hopin.

Hopin is our virtual conference platform for EconCon 2021. Hopin allows us to maintain a conference structure similar to in-person events, with breakout rooms, a mainstage, and networking options. If you would like to learn more about this platform, check out this video.

EconCon 2021 is FREE to everyone.

Please reach out to info@econcon.com for assistance.

Mark your calendars

OCTOBER 6-7, 2021

Days
Hours
Minutes
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Tracey Ross

(she/her/hers)
Director, Federal Policy and Narrative Change
PolicyLink
Tracey is focused on federal policy and narrative change at PolicyLink. Most recently, she led the organization’s All-In Cites initiative, working with cities across the country to adopt policies and practices to ensure one’s zip code does not determine their life outcomes.
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Ingrid Haftel

(she/her/hers)
Manager, Democracy Beyond Elections
Participatory Budgeting Project
Ingrid Haftel manages Democracy Beyond Elections, the Participatory Budgeting Project’s collaborative campaign to deepen participatory democracy rooted in community-led decision making that is equitable, accessible, and significant.
Linkedin

REBECCA DIXON

(she/her/hers)
Executive Director
National Employment Law Project
Rebecca is a respected national leader in federal workers’ rights advocacy in great demand for her thought leadership at the intersection of labor and racial equity. Previously, Rebecca served on NELP’s Executive Management team as Chief of Programs.
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Bianca-Cunningham-resize

BIANCA CUNNINGHAM

(she/they)
Campaigns Director for Bargaining for the Common Good network
ACRE
Bianca Cunningham is a former retail worker who led her coworkers in 7 stores across Brooklyn, NY to unionize, making them the first unionized retail workers in the company. She later led her coworkers on a 49 day strike to secure their first contract.
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Julian Brave Noisecat

(he/him/his)
VP, Policy & Strategy
Data for Progress
Julian Brave NoiseCat (Secwepemc/St’at’imc) is Vice President of Policy & Strategy for Data for Progress and a fellow of New America and the Type Media Center. He’s currently working on a book about Indigenous peoples in the United States & Canada, and published by Alfred A. Knopf.
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Algernon Austin

(he/him/his)
Senior Research Fellow
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Algernon’s primary focus is on the intersection of race and the economy. He is the first Director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, which focuses on labor market conditions for BIPOC workers. Prior to joining CEPR, he worked at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Twitter

Rakeen Mabud

(she/her/hers)
Chief Economist and Managing Director of Research and Policy
Groundwork Collaborative
Rakeen Mabud is the Chief Economist and Managing Director of Policy and Research at the Groundwork Collaborative. Rakeen is an expert on economic inequality and the 21st century workplace, with a focus on how structural factors such as racism and sexism perpetuate inequities.
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Mike Konczal

(He/Him/His)
Director
Roosevelt Institute
Mike Konczal is the director of Macroeconomic Analysis at the Roosevelt Institute, where he focuses on full employment and inequality. He is the author of the book “Freedom From the Market,” and a co-author, with Joseph Stiglitz, of “Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy.”
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Taifa Smith Butler

(she/her/hers)
President
Dēmos
Taifa Smith Butler is the President of Demos – The People’s Think Tank. Demos works to fight systemic racism through research, advocacy, multi-platform communications, legal expertise, and deep partnerships with grassroots organizations from across the country.
Twitter

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman

(she/her/hers)
Co-Founder
Sadie Collective
Anna is a Ghanaian-American researcher, writer, author, commentator, and activist. She co-founded The Sadie Collective, the only non-profit organization addressing the pipeline and pathway problem for Black women in economics, finance, and policy.
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Michelle Holder

(she/her/hers)
President & CEO
Washington Center for Equitable Growth
Michelle Holder is President and CEO of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth as well as Associate Professor of Economics at John Jay College, City University of New York. Her research focuses on the Black community and women of color in the American labor market.
Twitter

Maurice Mitchell

(he/him/his)
National Director
Working Families Party
Maurice is a nationally recognized political strategist and visionary leader. Raised by working-class parents, he began organizing as a teenager. When Mike Brown was killed, Maurice moved to Ferguson and helped build the Movement for Black Lives. In 2018, Maurice took the helm of Working Families Party as its National Director.
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Anne E. Price

(she/her/hers)
President
Insight Center
Anne is the first woman President of the Insight Center. She has worked in the public sector on a range of issues including child welfare, hunger, workforce development, and higher ed. Her work was featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications.
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Deyanira Del Río

(she/her/hers)
Co-Director
New Economy Project
For almost 25 years, Deyanira has worked to promote cooperative and community-controlled finance, immigrants’ economic rights, and equitable neighborhood development. At New Economy Project, she helped launch the organization’s community loan funds.
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Tracy Williams

(she/her/hers)
Director, Reimagining Capitalism
Omidyar Network
Tracy leads the Omidyar Network’s work to build the power of working people and shape a new economic paradigm. Previously, she was at McKinsey & Company, first as a consultant in their South Africa office and later as the Global Practice Manager for Economic Development.
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Rachel Cooper

(she/her/hers)
Senior Policy Analyst
Every Texan
At Every Texan, Rachel’s focus is on food and nutrition programs as well as obesity. Before joining Every Texan, she worked for the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Cooper received her Masters in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University.
Linkedin

Molly Shack

(she/her/hers)
Co-Executive Director
Ohio Organizing Collaborative
Molly Shack is the Co-Executive Director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a statewide organization dedicated to improving lives through grassroots organizing. Since 2011 she has helped lead faith, community, and student organizing efforts to register hundreds of thousands of voters and win campaigns on education, voting rights and criminal justice reform.
Twitter

Sara Cullinane

(she/her/hers)
Director and Co-founder
Make the Road New Jersey
Sara Cullinane, Esq is Director and Co-founder of Make the Road New Jersey (MRNJ) and NJ state director of its sister c4, Make the Road Action (MRA). She holds a JD from NYU School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern public service scholar.

Kayla Blado

(she/her/hers)
Press Secretary
National Labor Relations Board
Kayla Blado is the Press Secretary for the National Labor Relations Board.
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Aisha Nyandoro, Ph.D.

(she/her/hers)
Chief Executive Officer
Springboard To Opportunities
Dr. Aisha Nyandoro is the CEO of Springboard To Opportunities, which provides direct support to residents of affordable housing. Springboard uses a “radically resident-driven” approach designed to improve quality of life and end the generational poverty trajectory.
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Naomi Zewde

(she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor in Health Policy and Management
CUNY School of Public Health
Naomi is an assistant professor in health policy and management at the CUNY School of Public Health. She studies how public policies can reduce inequality in health insurance and wealth. She is also a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute.
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David Madland

(he/him/his)
Senior Fellow; Senior Adviser, American Worker Project
Center for American Progress
David is the author of “Re-Union: How Bold Labor Reforms Can Repair, Revitalize, and Reunite the United States” & “Hollowed Out: Why the Economy Doesn’t Work without a Strong Middle Class.” He regularly talks and writes about the middle class, economic inequality, and labor unions.”
Twitter

Bart Sheard

(He/Him/His)
Legislative Representative
AFL-CIO
Bart is a legislative representative for AFL-CIO where he advocates for workers on capitol hill. Prior to joining AFL-CIO, he represented unions and workers before the National Labor Relations Board and federal courts. He’s a graduate of The George Washington University Law School.
Linkedin

Ericka Taylor

(she/her/hers)
Popular Education Manager
Take on Wall Street/Americans for Financial Reform
Ericka Taylor is the Popular Educator for Take on Wall Street, which aims to build an economy centered around working people and not the financial elite. Throughout her career, she has worked at the local and national levels as a community organizer, trainer, and grantmaker.
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Puya Gerami

(He/him/his)
Director
Recovery For All
Puya Gerami is the director of Recovery For All, a statewide coalition of 48 labor, community, and faith organizations united in a long-term mission to eliminate systemic inequities in Connecticut.

Rep. Mark Pocan

Congressman for Wisconsin
U.S. House of Representatives
Representing Wisconsin’s second district since 2013, Rep. Pocan is committed to using his life experience to fight for policies that promote economic and social justice and support families. He is a small business owner, union member, and lifelong advocate for progressive causes.
Twitter

Erica Smiley

(she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Jobs with Justice
Smiley is a long-time organizer and movement leader. She has been spearheading strategic organizing and policy interventions for Jobs With Justice for nearly 15 years, previously serving as campaigns director and as senior field organizer for the southern region.
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Charles Khan

(He/Him/His)
Financialization and State & Local Tax Campaigns Lead
Center for Popular Democracy
Charles is the Organizing Dir. at the Strong Economy For All, focusing on budget & legislative driven campaigns fighting for economic equality, public investments, & corporate accountability in NY. He also leads Wall St. & state tax campaigns at the Center for Popular Democracy.
Twitter

AMANDA LEE

(she/her/hers)
Director of Technology
Groundwork Collaborative
With the opportunity to make once-in-a-generation policy changes and transformative investments in our communities, EconCon 2021 is the perfect time to gather virtually.
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