Roosevelt Institute Names Next President and CEO
View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]
Dear friends, partners, and colleagues,
I write with incredible excitement and deep gratitude that after a comprehensive search, the Roosevelt Institute will welcome Elizabeth Wilkins as our new president and CEO. ([link removed])
Elizabeth is a highly accomplished professional with a longtime commitment to public service. She got her start helping people build their own power as part of the SEIU—experience that will be critical as we build our movement and advance our policy ideas. She recently served as chief of staff to Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, and as the director of the Office of Policy Planning at the FTC. There she led important work to ban noncompete clauses that trap workers in their jobs and pushed back on the health-care and tech intermediaries that use their market power against patients, consumers, and small businesses. Her leadership experience in organizing, law, and government service has honed her ability to bring together a range of stakeholders and focus them on solving problems.
Throughout the interview process, Elizabeth impressed the search committee with her vision, which aligns well with Roosevelt’s theory of change while bringing a fresh perspective to today’s challenges. She also has a compelling enthusiasm for centering the Roosevelt legacy and worldview. I know my grandparents would be thrilled to welcome someone of Elizabeth’s depth and strength to the Roosevelt Institute team.
In the last decade, the Roosevelt Institute has led a major reconceptualization of the government’s role and responsibility in shaping a better economy, lifting up the value of public investments, and advancing the interests of workers and families. Elizabeth is the right leader to carry that work forward and advance an economy that works for the many.
Elizabeth will begin her tenure as CEO in February 2025, maintaining an active travel schedule and working with our team and colleagues across the country. As we announced in June, we are grateful that Felicia Wong will be staying on at Roosevelt, reporting to our new president and CEO, ensuring a smooth transition, and moving into a new role focused on the Roosevelt Society. Notes from Elizabeth and Felicia are below.
Please join me in welcoming Elizabeth to Roosevelt!
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
Board Chair
** A note from Elizabeth Wilkins
------------------------------------------------------------
It is my immense pleasure to accept the board’s offer to serve as the next president and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute. I have spent my career seeking to ensure that our democracy works for the many, not just the few. I am thrilled to bring that experience to this organization, which stewards the economic legacy of FDR to drive bold ideas that deliver public goods, constrain corporate power, and create broadly shared prosperity.
I am grateful to my predecessor, Felicia Wong, for her work in building this institution and in supporting my transition. The Roosevelt Institute has been fortunate to have Felicia at the helm for more than a decade—her vision and leadership made it a bigger, more visible, more impactful force for change. Building on this foundation, we are poised to take our policy ideas to the next level, sustain our work through political opposition, and cultivate a pipeline of dynamic leaders to take our ideas into the future.
We want our economy to support human flourishing. But because of the continued impact of decades of market deregulation, Americans aren’t flourishing, they aren’t secure, they aren’t economically free. The Roosevelt Institute is well-positioned to fight the forces we face: zombie neoliberalism, unrestrained capital, and corporate oligarchy. In addition to presenting bold policy ideas, we will work to build political support for shifting power in the economy.
This organization’s work has not gone unnoticed. Roosevelt’s research, advocacy, and people have been a part of important policy advances in the last four years. I look forward to partnering with all of you in the Roosevelt community to fight for our ideas, develop the next generation of leaders for our movement, and create ongoing impact for workers and families. Together, we can make real FDR’s promise of security, opportunity, and freedom.
Elizabeth Wilkins
** A note from Felicia Wong
------------------------------------------------------------
It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead the Roosevelt Institute for the last 13 years. As Roosevelt has grown in size and scope, I have focused, in my own role, on building and sharing power. Therefore, as I step back from my current role, I am thrilled that Elizabeth Wilkins will be stepping up as our next president and CEO. I am deeply grateful to the Roosevelt board for their support during this time of change, and especially to our search committee for their work to bring Elizabeth onto the team.
Elizabeth’s experience and relationships are unparalleled. She sets her sights on big goals, brings people together, and gets things done—leaving everywhere she’s worked better as a result. She has organized within the labor movement and served in law enforcement on the side of tenants and workers in Washington. I first met her on the Biden-Harris transition team, and greatly admired her ability to run an ambitious White House chief of staff’s office, and to lead policy planning for an FTC chair with a historically successful track record and a deep commitment to market competition. The Institute is in excellent hands.
Once Elizabeth’s tenure begins, I’ll transition to leading the strategy and development of the Roosevelt Society, our initiative focused on connecting and championing leaders of all ages—people ready to reimagine how our democracy and economy work and to put those ideas into practice. I will also offer Elizabeth any and all counsel and support, introducing her to our philanthropic partners and allies and serving as a partner in her success.
In this uncertain moment in history, I find strength in being part of the larger Roosevelt family. I am grateful to be a Roosevelter. As we turn the page and begin 2025, I look forward to passing the torch to Elizabeth. Thanks to each of you for all that you do.
Felicia Wong
============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** LinkedIn ([link removed])
** YouTube ([link removed])
** Update your preferences ([link removed])
. Tell us which emails you want to receive!
If you are interested in supporting the Roosevelt Institute, ** click here ([link removed])
.
Copyright © 2024 Roosevelt Institute, all rights reserved.
570 Lexington Ave, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10022
rooseveltinstitute.org
If you would like to unsubscribe from this list, ** click here ([link removed])
.
