CBPP Announces New Vice President for State Network Strategy

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) announced today that Keron Blair has joined the organization as Vice President for State Network Strategy following a national search.

In this role, Blair will collaborate with leaders of the State Priorities Partnership (the Partnership) — a high-impact network of state policy and advocacy organizations — to implement a clear vision and strategy for the Partnership while engaging with the network funder table and other leaders of CBPP’s State Fiscal Policy division. Blair will lead CBPP teams that support the Partnership and its member organizations to actualize the network’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion; cultivate and expand funding sources to sustain and transform the Partnership’s power; and prepare the next generation of state fiscal policy leaders.

“I’m so thrilled for Keron to be joining us. He’s a highly respected national leader who brings a wealth of experience as a successful advocate, organizer, and strategist,” said Michael Leachman, CBPP’s Senior Vice President for State Fiscal Policy. “The work of the State Priorities Partnership is more vital today than it’s ever been. With Keron on board, I’m even more excited about its future.”

Blair already has deep relationships with Partnership groups. Over the last year, he has been a consultant to a key network project that helps Partnership staff deepen their organizations’ engagement and power-building work with community-rooted partners.

“The Partnership's directors welcome Keron to our community and our work together,” said Davante Lewis, Chair of the State Priorities Partnership Steering Committee and Chief Strategy Officer for Invest in Louisiana, a member organization. “His deep experience building powerful coalitions rooted in the experiences of marginalized people will further strengthen our impact in these trying times.”

Over the course of his career, Blair has worked on well over 100 organizing, field, and community campaigns, including leading the field campaigns for marriage equality and raising the minimum wage in Illinois. Most recently, Blair served as Chief of Field and Organizing with the New Georgia Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic engagement organization. He has also trained thousands of advocates, including at the Midwest Academy, and served as the National Director of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools.

“I’ve seen up close the powerful work of the State Priorities Partnership. I’m honored to join CBPP and collaborate more deeply with the Partnership as we advance racial and economic justice through better state tax and budget policies,” said Blair. “Together, we can build toward a future in which state policies support people in marginalized communities to thrive.”