Samantha Tweedy Joins CBPP Board
Samantha Tweedy, Chief Executive Officer of the Black Economic Alliance (BEA), has joined the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) Board of Directors, CBPP announced today. An accomplished executive, strategist, and attorney, Tweedy brings two decades of experience building and leading transformative racial and economic justice initiatives at the intersection of the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. As CEO of BEA, Tweedy leads a dynamic and influential coalition of Black business leaders and aligned advocates committed to driving economic progress for the Black community through public policy, advocacy, and engagement with government and business leaders.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have Samantha join our Board of Directors,” said Kenneth Apfel, CBPP Board Chair and former Social Security Commissioner. “She brings deep commitment and experience in advancing policies that expand access to good-paying jobs, livable wages, and wealth creation for Black people, and in turn, strengthen the entire American economy.”
CBPP President Sharon Parrott stated, “I’m thrilled to welcome Samantha to our Board. Through the Center’s close partnership with BEA over several years, we have already benefited a great deal from Samantha’s strategic acumen, vision, and expertise. With Samantha on our Board, we are poised to gain even more as we continue our work together toward a nation where everyone — regardless of background or identity — has the resources they need to thrive and share in the nation’s prosperity.”
Tweedy said, “Through our work together, I’ve seen the critical role that CBPP plays in pushing the nation toward racial and economic justice. I’m thrilled to join the Board and support the Center’s ongoing efforts to deepen its partnerships, shape the public debate, and drive equitable policies nationally and in states that expand opportunity and help people thrive.”
Samantha Tweedy Biography
Samantha Tweedy is the first-ever Chief Executive Officer of the Black Economic Alliance (BEA), a coalition of business leaders and aligned advocates committed to economic progress and prosperity in the Black community with a specific focus on work, wages, and wealth. Previously, she served as the inaugural President of the BEA Foundation — leading the organization’s efforts to produce cutting-edge research, practical solutions, and programming to create better access to good-paying jobs, livable wages, and wealth creation for Black people.
Before joining BEA, Samantha was the first Chief Partnerships and Impact Officer at the Robin Hood Foundation, one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations. She developed and directed the Power Fund to invest in nonprofit leaders of color and the High-Quality Schools Fund to support innovative school models for New York City’s most under-resourced communities. She also was instrumental in creating the NinetyToZero partnership among America’s leading companies and organizations to combat the racial wealth gap through increased investment in Black talent and Black businesses.
Samantha brings a unique mix of on-the-ground and executive experience to her leadership. She served as the first Chief Advancement Officer at Uncommon Schools, a network of over 50 public charter schools serving historically disadvantaged students of color who go on to graduate from four-year colleges at higher rates than students from the wealthiest American households. She also founded and directed an elementary school that won the National Blue Ribbon School Award for its success in closing racial and socioeconomic opportunity gaps.
After graduating from Yale Law School and Duke University magna cum laude, Samantha began her career as an attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she worked on landmark school equity litigation to close the public school spending gaps that disproportionately impact students of color and practiced commercial litigation.
Learn more about CBPP’s Board of Directors.
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The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization and policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of government policies and programs. It is supported primarily by foundation grants.