Heather McGhee

You may recognize Heather from one of her many television appearances, where she is not another talking head, but a thoughtful analyst who brings unique, emotionally-informed insight and a sharp political analysis of racial injustice to whatever topic she’s talking about.

Heather has served for sixteen years at the think-tank Demos, including four years as its president. Her leadership in concrete policy campaigns around equity, civic engagement and equal access to opportunity have led to billions of dollars staying in the hands of U.S. consumers, better wages for tens of thousands of workers and access to elections for millions.

Heather’s transformational leadership as Demos director took an already strong resource and made it more racially diverse until its staff was majority people of color. She also grew its budget and influence while uniquely positioning Demos as a think-tank committed to winning while also uplifting the voices and political power of communities of color.

We’re honoring Heather for her bold, race-forward leadership, her ability to bring keen political insight and emotion to multiple platforms, and her ability to move people and institutions to take action on racial equity and economic justice.