Heather McGhee
2021
An expert in economic and social policy. The former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos, McGhee has drafted legislation, testified before Congress, and contributed regularly to news shows including NBC’s Meet the Press. She now chairs the board of Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. McGhee holds a BA in American studies from Yale University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.
Heather designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. Her most recent book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together spent 10 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Her 2020 TED talk, “Racism Has a Cost for Everyone” reached 1 million views in just two months online. In 2021 she will launch two original podcasts on the economy and on how to create cross-racial solidarity in challenging times. For nearly two decades, Heather helped build the non-partisan "think and do" tank Demos, serving four years as president. Under McGhee’s leadership, Demos moved their original idea for “debt-free college” into the center of the 2016 presidential debate, argued before the Supreme Court to protect voting rights in January 2018, helped win pro-voter reforms in five states over two years, provided expert testimony to Congressional committees, including a Supreme Court confirmation hearing in 2017, and led the research campaigns behind successful wage increases for lowpaid workers on federal contracts, as well as at McDonalds, Walmart and other chain retailers.
Workshops:
Fostering a Changing Workforce The Millennial Generation and Beyond
Today’s young people are inheriting a radically different economy and society that has left an indelible mark on their aspirations, values and life trajectories. An expert on the economic challenges facing young adults and youth-led activism, McGhee offers much-needed context for understanding the Millennial moment. She can speak to students, teachers, and employers of millennials, and she can marshal the groundbreaking research Demos has undertaken to characterize the challenges facing a brand new, post-Millennial generation now entering the workforce.