Jamelle covers U.S. politics, public policy, elections, and race. His political instincts provide audiences with unique insight on the past, present, and future of our national politics and the state of race relations. He has emerged as a leading voice on the national scene, being named to Forbes “30 Under 30 in Media” in 2015.
(He/Him/His) Assistant Professor of the U.S. Civil War Era
Southern Methodist University
Ariel is historian of nineteenth-century U.S. politics and economic development, paying particular attention the political economy of slavery during the Civil War. He is the author of “Grassroots Leviathan: Northern Agricultural Reform in the Slaveholding Republic.”
Mariana is a Professor of Economics at University College London, where she is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose. Mariana is an acclaimed author of three books, the most recent is “Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism.”
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Jesse is a reporter and editor at ProPublica, and the author of “The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives.” In April 2011, he and a colleague won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for a series on questionable Wall Street practices.
Anand is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World,” and the newsletter The.Ink. He’s an editor-at-large for TIME, an on-air political analyst for MSNBC, and a visiting scholar at New York University.
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.
(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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Assemblymember represents California’s 27th District, the first Indian American to serve in the California Legislature in state history. Ash is the Chair of the Committee on Labor and Employment and Chair of the CA Legislative Progressive Caucus.
Benjamin is the Director of the Fed Up Campaign, a unique grassroots campaign that fights for full employment, rising wages, and a Federal Reserve for working people. Prior to joining CPD, Benjamin spent ten years as the ED at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development.
(she/her/hers) Professor of Public Policy and Economics
University of Michigan
Betsey is a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan. Previously, she served on the Council of Economic Advisers and as chief economist of the U.S. Department of Labor. Her research explores women’s labor and the economic forces shaping families.
Bryce Covert is an independent journalist writing about the economy. She is a contributing writer at The Nation, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Time Magazine, the Washington Post, New York Magazine, Wired, the New Republic, Slate, and others.
Tara is the director of KC Tenants and also the director of the campaign for a national Homes Guarantee, based at People’s Action, a national network of grassroots organizations committed to economic and racial justice.
Jerusalem is a policy reporter at Vox, and covers a range of issues from housing and homelessness to infrastructure and transportation. She has written for the Center for American Progress, worked on gubernatorial races across the country and the 2020 presidential primary.
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.
Claire is the Director of Campaigns and Partnerships, working to advance an economic narrative for the progressive movement. Prior to joining Groundwork in 2019, Claire was Associate Director of the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center for American Progress.
(he/him/his) Associate Director, Policy & Research
Dēmos
Lebaron joined Demos in April 2021 and builds and leads the organization’s Economic Democracy work. Prior to Demos, he spent eight years as a staff researcher at Prosperity Now, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low- and moderate-income households build wealth.
Ellen is the Executive Director of the Wallace Global Fund, where she focuses on progressive change on environmental issues, democracy, human rights and corporate accountability. Ellen has also held a number of leadership roles focused on human rights and the environment.
Don is the President of the Surdna Foundation, and furthers the foundation’s efforts to strengthen and leverage its commitment to social justice. Don was previously at the Ford Foundation, and also serves as Co-Chair of the Presidents’ Council on Impact Investing.
Joe leads Living Cities, a collaborative of 19 of the world’s leading foundations and financial institutions working together to close racial income and wealth gaps. Prior Living Cities, Joe worked at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dorothy Brown
(she/her/hers) Professor of Law
Emory University
Dorothy is a visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University and the author of “The Whiteness of Wealth: How The Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans- And How We Can Fix It .” She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, and published in The New York Times & The Washington Post.
Hannah is an award-winning investigative reporter at Mother Jones interested in stories about money and influence, income inequality, and politics. Before becoming a journalist, she processed FOIA requests at a federal agency in Washington, DC, then worked at NPR.
Jane has managed campaigns to organize gig workers at The Worker Agency and worked on Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign agricultural development in Rwanda. She started her career at Facebook, which informs her analysis of power today.
Jasmine initially started a career as an educator, but shifted to advocacy after realizing education policies steeped in inequity were harming children and limiting their potential. After working for Obama’s reelection campaign, in 2013 she then joined Alliance for Quality Education.
Kara Voght is a national politics reporter at Mother Jones, where she writes about the politics and policy of the Democratic party under President Joe Biden. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic and Politico.
Skanda Amarnath is the executive director of Employ America, a research & advocacy organization that advocates for macroeconomic policies that promote sustainably tighter labor markets
Larry has been President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation since 2012. Under his leadership, the foundation has maintained its commitment to areas of enduring concern, while adapting its approaches and strategies to meet changing circumstances and seize new opportunities.
Zac Petkanas
(He/Him/His) Democratic Strategist
Petkanas Strategies
Zac is a veteran Democratic strategist and messaging expert with more than a decade of experience in competitive federal and state campaigns. Petkanas served as Director of Rapid Response for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign and communications director for Senator Harry Reid.
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.
Mariah is the National Campaigns Director at PowerSwitch Action, where she works with local coalitions and campaigns in cities around the country on campaigns to harness our collective resources to repair harms and build the common good, and to challenge corporate power.
Asha Banerjee is an economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute focusing on racial disparities in the economy and policies around UI, taxes, wages, and unions. Previously she was a policy analyst at CLASP working on higher education funding and student debt cancellation.
Natalie Foster is the President and co-founder of the Economic Security Project, a network dedicated to advancing a guaranteed income in America and reining in the unprecedented concentration of corporate power.
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.
(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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
(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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
(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.
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.
(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.
Austin’s work focuses on economic measurement policy. Prior to joining EG, he was an assistant research scientist at the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University. His work has appeared in Legislative Studies Quarterly and the Smithsonian Magazine.
Elise joined EPI in 2003. Her research focuses on wages, poverty, inequality, economic mobility and health care. She is a co-author of “The State of Working America,” and her work has been published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Health Economics, and Tax Notes.
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.
