Today, Groundwork Collaborative welcomed seven new economic experts to its policy and research operation, expanding the organization’s capacity to develop policy proposals and communications strategies that address the most pressing issues facing the working class.
Joining the recent additions of Chief of Policy and Advocacy Alex Jacquez, Managing Director of Policy and Advocacy Elizabeth Pancotti, and Director of Research Katie Wells, Emily DiVito will serve as Senior Advisor for Economic Policy, driving Groundwork’s efforts to expand consumer protections and rein in corporate power.
Additionally, Akhil Rajan, Alejandro Molina, Andrés Arguello, Chad Maisel, and Michael Negron, who held top economic roles in the Biden-Harris administration, will join Groundwork Collaborative as policy fellows. Leading macroeconomist J.W. Mason joins as a Senior Fellow.
“We are excited to bring on top-tier talent to expand Groundwork’s capacity to advance smart, novel policy solutions and an affirmative economic agenda while fighting back against President Trump and Elon Musk’s ransacking of health care, food assistance, and consumer protection programs to pay for tax giveaways to the wealthy,” said Jacquez.
Emily DiVito most recently served as Director of Finance, Corporate Regulation, and Consumer Protection at the Roosevelt Institute. She previously served as Policy Advisor for IRS Modernization at the Treasury Department. DiVito has testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and her work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Bloomberg Tax.
“Too many Americans are now seeing firsthand how our economy can be rigged to benefit the ultra-wealthy,” said DiVito. “As Trump, Musk, and their billionaire allies push to strip away vital consumer protections and dangerously deregulate the financial sector in favor of tax breaks for the richest, the need for bold action has never been clearer. I’m excited to join Groundwork Collaborative to fight for policies that will hold corporations and their executives accountable and build an economy that serves everyone.”
J.W. Mason is an Associate Professor of Economics at John Jay College, City University of New York and an expert on monetary policy, political economy, and macroeconomics. He is a regular contributor to Barron’s, and his work has been featured in Dissent Magazine, Jacobin, The Nation, and The New York Times. Mason’s work will focus on the impact of public investment and policies to address corporate profiteering.
Groundwork’s inaugural class of policy fellows will spearhead critical research and policy development to lower the cost of care, bolster consumer protections, strengthen worker power in the age of artificial intelligence, and more. Fellows will also advance Groundwork’s strategic messaging and narrative work, supporting a comprehensive vision of an economy that works for workers and families.
Bringing Down Essential Costs for Families
Andrés Arguello was most recently Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He also served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of HHS on child and family policy. He previously worked for the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, on Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign, and at the Council on Economic Advisors during the Obama administration. Arguello’s work will focus on reducing costs for families, including health and child care.
Alejandro Molina was most recently the Director of Economic Policy at the National Economic Council, where he led policy initiatives that ranged from increasing competition in health care markets to expanding broadband access for rural communities. He previously worked as a public sector consultant at Deloitte, where he helped health care and social services organizations improve their operational efficiency. Molina’s work will focus on lowering health care costs and improving patient experience by eliminating middlemen and rentseekers across the health care industry, particularly in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Ensuring Workers and Families Share in the Benefits Generated by AI and Automation
Akhil Rajan was most recently Director of Implementation Policy in the Office of the White House Chief of Staff. He previously served as a Confidential Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture and as a Research Manager at the Yale MacMillan Center. Rajan’s work will focus on strengthening worker protections and welfare institutions in light of the risks AI poses to workers and families.
Protecting Consumers from Bad Actors
Chad Maisel was most recently Special Assistant to the President for Housing and Urban Policy at the Domestic Policy Council. He previously served as an economic policy advisor to Senator Cory Booker, including as Deputy Policy Director on his 2020 presidential campaign, and in the Obama administration in the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Agriculture. Maisel’s work will focus on policy solutions to confront economic pain points and ways that corporations and other actors rob people of their time and money.
Michael Negron was most recently Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the National Economic Council. He previously served as Assistant Director for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity under Governor JB Pritzker and Chief of Policy for the City of Chicago under Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Negron also served in the Obama Administration at the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Defense. Negron’s work will focus on consumer protection, junk fees, and the price of basic goods for American families.
Email press@groundworkcollaborative.org to speak with a Groundwork expert.