Washington, DC — The National Employment Law Project (NELP) congratulates and says a fond farewell with profound thanks to outgoing board chair Jared Bernstein, whom President-Elect Joe Biden has named to his Council of Economic Advisors (CEA). Jared, an esteemed economist, author, and policy commentator, is currently a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and previously served as an economic advisor to President Obama and the executive director of the Obama White House task force on the middle class. Jared’s appointment to the CEA, to be led by Cecilia Rouse and joined by Heather Boushey, signals the Biden administration’s intent to focus on workers and income inequality.
Jared contributes actively to the economic debates of the moment through frequent media appearances, high-level policy briefings to Congress, and prolific writing, including periodic columns in The New York Times and The Washington Post, his daily On the Economy blog, and numerous books and other publications.
For his book, All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy, Jared coined “WITT” to describe a vision of the economy that emphasizes “We’re in this together” (where “[individual] freedom is best realized with a more collaborative approach“). Jared’s latest book, The Reconnection Agenda: Reuniting Growth and Prosperity, provides a succinct diagnosis of why today’s economy is failing most Americans and offers a policy prescription to restore economic balance and shared prosperity through full employment.
NELP is pleased and honored to have worked closely with and learned from Jared in his service as chair of NELP’s board. Jared guided NELP with wisdom, vision, and thoughtfulness through a period of external challenges and internal transition and growth; we will be forever grateful for his leadership and support. We are happy to share that Amy Morris, NELP vice chair and director of the Amplify Fund at Neighborhood Funders Group, will step in as interim board chair until the board of directors appoints a new chair.
As we approach 2021, NELP is renewed with hope and steadfast in our fight for a robust relief package that will meet people’s immediate needs, build economic stability, and center Black and Indigenous people and other people of color, including immigrants and women, who are bearing the worst harm of the pandemic and economic crisis.
