Groundwork Collaborative announced today that Bilal Baydoun has been named the organization’s new Director of Policy and Research. Baydoun brings extensive public policy expertise gained as a journalist and while serving in state and local government, including the City of Dearborn and the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.
“Bilal is one of the foremost thinkers on the government-citizen relationship, and what it means to reinvest in the commons,” said Ali Abazeed, Chief Public Health Officer at the City of Dearborn. “He brought unparalleled vision and creativity to local government, especially to the project of championing public goods and expanding our public square to include more of us.”
“Bilal’s expertise and commitment to economic justice informed some of our most consequential decisions and helped us articulate a vision for a truly inclusive, people-centered government,” Fadwa Hammoud, Chief Deputy Attorney General of the State of Michigan, added. “I’m excited to see him represent Michigan and the midwest in the debate over our economic future.”
Baydoun previously worked as a journalist at The Appeal, where he edited long-form analyses by leading scholars that clarified the stakes around inequality. He also served on former President Clinton’s policy briefing team at the Clinton Foundation, where he led an executive briefing protocol on a wide range of international policy issues.
“Groundwork is interrogating foundational questions about how the economy works and who it should serve, questions that have been central to my life and career,” Baydoun said. “I’m excited to shift the terms of the debate alongside some of the best thinkers in this space.”
Bilal holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy, where he served as the inaugural Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellow, and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan. He also served as a Government Innovation Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Bilal to Groundwork,” said Dr. Rakeen Mabud, Chief Economist and Managing Director of Policy and Research at Groundwork Collaborative. “Bilal brings a unique blend of policy chops, communications savvy, and research expertise – exactly what we need in our mission to build an economy that works for everyone.”