CBPP Announces New Vice President for Housing and Income Security and New Chief Economist

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) announced today the hiring of two exceptional leaders: Cara Brumfield as Vice President for Housing and Income Security and Gbenga Ajilore as Chief Economist.

Brumfield will lead the Housing and Income Security team’s work to improve housing affordability and expand access to cash assistance for families with low incomes.

“I am delighted to welcome Cara to CBPP,” said Peggy Bailey, CBPP’s Executive Vice President for Policy and Program Development. “Cara brings a wealth of expertise in economic justice issues and a deep commitment to addressing historic and systemic inequities in housing and income security, both from her work and her lived experience.”

Brumfield has more than a decade of experience across issues such as affordable housing, rural development, workplace policies, health, employment, and gentrification. Most recently, Brumfield served as the Managing Director of Research and Policy at the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality (GCPI), where she managed the organization’s research and policy agendas.

Before joining GCPI, Brumfield was the Director of the Public Benefits Justice team at the Center for Law and Social Policy. In this role, she led a team of experts focused on the building blocks of well-being — cash assistance, tax credits, and benefits programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“I care deeply about advancing economic and racial justice, and I am honored to lead a team of talented, dedicated people working together to meet the housing and cash assistance needs of people with low incomes,” said Brumfield. “Together, we can build a future in which everyone can thrive in safe homes and communities and make decisions about where and how they live.”

As CBPP’s new Chief Economist, Ajilore will work on a range of issues to bring economic analysis to real-world policies and debates that affect the nation’s future and the lives of millions of people.

“I am thrilled that Gbenga has joined CBPP,” said Joel Friedman, Senior Vice President for Federal Fiscal Policy, “As our nation faces a number of policy debates that will have a significant impact on the economy, Gbenga’s rich experience will help CBPP engage deeply and meaningfully to promote economic justice and broaden opportunity.”

Ajilore brings more than two decades of experience in academic institutions, policy organizations, and the federal government. His expertise includes regional economic development, macroeconomic policy, and diversity and inclusion. Prior to joining CBPP, Ajilore served as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture.

Previously, Ajilore served as a Senior Economist at the Center for American Progress (CAP), where he worked to highlight racial disparities in the labor market and bring a new focus to the importance of investing in rural communities, and as a Visiting Fellow at the Urban Institute. He was also a tenured Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Toledo and served as president of the National Economic Association.

“I am excited to join such an esteemed organization and be part of a team seeking to advance inclusive economic growth,” said Ajilore. “I look forward to working to build a country where the economy works for everyone, including those who have long faced underinvestment, such as people with low incomes, people of color, Indigenous communities, and people in rural communities.”