Cecilia Muñoz and Danielle Allen Join New America’s Board of Directors

Washington, D.C. – New America is pleased to announce that Cecilia Muñoz, a leader in public policy and public interest technology, and Danielle Allen, a political theorist at Harvard University, have joined the New America board of directors. Muñoz and Allen are both seasoned leaders in their respective fields. Together, they bring strong experience in public policy, education, nonprofit leadership, and technology.

A national leader in public policy and public interest technology, Cecilia Muñoz brings over three decades of experience in the nonprofit sector and eight years of service on President Obama’s senior team. She joined New America in 2017 as a vice president, leading local initiatives and building a team on public interest technology. She returned to New America as a senior advisor in early 2021 through 2022 after taking leave to lead the domestic and economic policy team for the Biden/Harris Transition. Before working in government, she spent 20 years at the National Council of La Raza (now UNIDOS US), the nation’s largest Hispanic policy and advocacy organization. Cecilia was also a Senior Fellow at Results for America, a nonprofit that advances the use of data and evidence in policy making. She received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2000 for her work on immigration and civil rights, and is a trustee of the Kresge, MacArthur, and Joyce Foundations. She advises the Open Society and JPB Foundations, and serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations. Cecilia is also the author of the award-winning More Than Ready: Be Strong and Be You...and Other Lessons for Women of Color on the Rise.

“I'm honored to maintain my strong connection to New America and its work by joining the board of directors as we continue our vital work to shape the country we aspire to be,” Cecilia Muñoz said.

Danielle Allen is James Bryant Conant University Professor and Director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. She is a professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy. She is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, national voice on pandemic response, distinguished author, and mom. Danielle’s work has taken her from teaching college and leading a $60-million university division to driving change at the helm of a $6-billion foundation, writing as a national opinion columnist, advocating for cannabis legalization, democracy reform, and civic education, and most recently, to running for governor of Massachusetts. During the height of COVID in 2020, Danielle’s leadership resulted in the country’s first-ever Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience; her policies were adopted in federal legislation and a presidential executive order. Danielle also made history as the first Black woman ever to run for statewide office in Massachusetts. She was the 2020 winner of the Library of Congress' Kluge Prize, which recognizes scholarly achievement in the disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prize. Her many books include the widely acclaimed Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality. She writes a column on constitutional democracy for the Washington Post.

“I am inspired by New America’s forward-looking and innovative approach to developing policy solutions and its work to build civic power for the beautiful, complex, diverse country we are today, in the 21st century. I am excited to contribute to the organization’s important work,” Danielle Allen said.

“I am delighted to welcome Cecilia Muñoz and Danielle Allen to New America’s board of directors. Both Cecilia and Danielle are pioneering visionaries in their fields. I’m excited to work alongside them to advance New America’s vision of a secure, prosperous nation where everyone can thrive,” New America Interim Board Chair Lenny Mendonca said.

“Cecilia Muñoz and Danielle Allen both bring deep expertise and a commitment to building a better, more just democracy. Their insights and experiences will be invaluable to New America’s work. I look forward to collaborating with them to advance our mission in the years ahead,” New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter said.

About New America: We are dedicated to renewing the Promise of America, bringing us closer to our nation’s highest ideals. We’re a different kind of think tank: one dedicated to public problem solving. Our team of visionary researchers, changemakers, technologists, and storytellers study and seize the opportunities presented by dramatic social and technological change. We search for powerful ideas, wherever they are, and collaborate with civic innovators around the country to develop evidence-based solutions.