Press Release

Progress 2020: Meet Our Keynote Speaker!

The theme of this year’s conference is Policy for the People, and few embody this sentiment more than our keynote speaker.

By

Published on Feb 6, 2020

The theme of this year’s NJPP conference is Policy for the People, and few embody this sentiment more than our keynote speaker: Olugbenga Ajilore.

Gbenga Ajilore is a leading national voice on tax equity and closing the racial wealth gap. His research recognizes that for policy to really be for the people, it must address the nation’s legacy of slavery — and structural racism — in concrete, meaningful ways. This means that widespread economic justice is inextricably linked to racial justice. You cannot have one without the other.

Ajilore is a senior economist at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC. His expertise includes regional economic development, macroeconomic policy, and issues in diversity and inclusion. He has been invited to testify before Congress and his work has been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Gbenga was previously an associate professor of economics at the University of Toledo, and in 2018 he served as the President of the National Economic Association.

Please join Gbenga Ajilore and the NJPP team at Progress 2020 on Friday, April 24 at The Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick as we examine policy for the people, not special interests.

Click here to purchase your tickets!

Author

  • Brandon McKoy, President, is the chief executive of NJPP and leads the organization's efforts in shaping policy debates to advance economic justice for the many, not a chosen few. Prior to being named President of NJPP in February 2019, Brandon served as NJPP's Director of Government and Public Affairs, where he designed and implemented the organization's outreach, advocacy, and government relations activities. He also produces timely, credible and accessible research and analysis on issues including, but not limited to, economic security, the social safety net and economic opportunity.

    Brandon’s research interests include: state tax policy, the minimum wage, paid sick leave, the earned income tax credit, urban planning and criminal justice.

    Before joining NJPP in August 2014 as a national fellow under the State Priorities Partnership’s and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ state policy fellowship program, Brandon worked as a Program Associate at The Fund for New Jersey, where he assisted in grantmaking on public policy issues that particularly affect low-income and minority populations in New Jersey. He also worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA at HANDS, Inc., a community development corporation in New Jersey, where he worked to mitigate the negative impact of foreclosures and increase citizen participation in local decision-making.

    Brandon formerly served as the Deputy Chapter Director of New Leaders Council – New Jersey and is an alumnus of the 2013 fellows class. He currently serves on the board of the New Jersey Work Environment Council, Shelterforce and the I Am Trenton Community Foundation. He received a MA in City & Regional Planning and Policy Development from Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and holds a BS degree in Social Psychology from The College of New Jersey.

    Email: mckoy (at) njpp.org | Phone: 609-393-1145 ext. 14


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