Diverse Bench of Policy Experts Represent Sharpest Minds on the Cost of Living in New York

NEW YORK – The Economic Speakers Bureau (ESB), a national network of economic and policy experts and an initiative of Groundwork Collaborative, is launching its first state-based chapter in New York. The New York chapter will connect a deep and diverse bench of former government officials, leading academics, and policy analysts with all levers of media, including reporters, editors, producers, and news and culture digital content creators. 

The Empire State cohort will provide real-time analysis on key economic policies shaping the political landscape — centered on lowering the cost of living in New York and beyond, including:

• Affordable housing
• Health care
• Child care
• Tax and budget
• Artificial intelligence/tech reforms
• Consumer protections 

“The rising cost of living is setting the terms of the current political debate, and nowhere is that clearer than in New York,” said Lindsay Owens, Executive Director at Groundwork Collaborative and Founder of the Economic Speakers Bureau. “The Bureau has a track record of amplifying the voices of the most credible experts to break down an  ever-changing economic landscape. With today’s launch, we’re bringing that proven model to the Empire State — where Albany and New York City sit at the center of the affordability conversation.”

Experts are available for on-air interviews, panel discussions, and speaking engagements. Please reach out to [email protected] to schedule interviews.

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Christine Quinn

X: @chriscquinn 

Christine Quinn has served as President and CEO of Win since 2015. Under her leadership, Win has nearly doubled its shelter capacity and tripled its supportive housing portfolio to meet the growing needs of New York City’s homeless population. 

A lifelong advocate for women, children, and the LGBTQ+ community, Christine made history as the first woman and the first openly gay Speaker of the New York City Council. During her tenure, she championed affordable housing, healthcare, and civil rights, and led major initiatives to combat hate crimes and sexual assault.

Issue Areas:

• Homelessness
• Equity
• Social justice

Samuel Levine

X: @saalevine

Samuel Levine served as Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection under Chair Lina M. Khan, overseeing litigation, rulemaking, and market-monitoring initiatives across a wide range of industries. Under his leadership, the Bureau cracked down on junk fees and subscription traps, sharpened the FTC’s tools against fraud and dark patterns, brought landmark cases addressing tech and privacy abuses, and advanced new protections for workers and small businesses.

Issue Areas:

• Consumer protection
• Privacy and Big Tech
• Workplace surveillance
• Algorithmic collusion

Richard R. Buery, Jr.

Richard R. Buery, Jr.is the CEO of Robin Hood, one of the nation’s leading anti-poverty organizations. He has extensive experience as a leader, manager, and social innovator within local government, as well as New York’s vast social service nonprofit sector. As Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives for the City of New York, Richard was the key architect of the City’s Pre-K for All initiative. 

Issue Areas:

• Poverty & inequality
• Education 
• Pre-K for all

Taylor Jo Isenberg

X: @taylorjo

Taylor Jo Isenberg is the Executive Director of the Economic Security Project, an advocacy organization focused on building economic power for all Americans. She previously served as Senior Advisor and Vice President at the economic think tank Roosevelt Institute.

Issue Areas:

• Economic security
• Affordability, including groceries, health care, child care, and housing policies
• Poverty & inequality
• Tech and political economy 
• Anti-monopoly and corporate consolidation

Elizabeth Wilkins 

X: @eewilkins

Elizabeth Wilkins is the president and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive think tank grounded in the economic legacy of FDR. She formerly served as chief of staff to Chair Lina Khan and director of the Office of Policy Planning at the Federal Trade Commission. Before joining the FTC, she was senior advisor to the White House chief of staff.

Issue Areas:

• The intersection of economic security and democracy 
• Antitrust and competition
• Labor and workforce policy
• Monopolies and anti-competitive business practices

Julie Margetta Morgan

X: @jmargetta

Julie Margetta Morgan is president of The Century Foundation, a New York-based progressive think tank. A policy expert and seasoned leader in both the government and nonprofit sectors, she most recently served as the associate director of research, monitoring and regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), overseeing the division responsible for setting and advancing the agency’s policy agenda. 

Issue Areas:

• Consumer protection
• Education
• Health care
• Child care and K12 education
• Debt, fiscal policy, and affordability  

Nathan Gusdorf

X: @ngusdorf

Nathan Gusdorf is the Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute. He is a tax attorney by training, and before joining FPI worked in the tax department of an international law firm in New York City. 

Issue Areas:

• Tax policy
• Fiscal policy

Terri Gerstein

X: @TerriGerstein

Terri Gerstein is the Director of the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Previously, she directed the Project on State and Local Enforcement at the Harvard Law School Center for Labor and a Just Economy and was a Senior Fellow at the Economic Policy Institute. Terri was a longtime public servant in the New York state government; she worked for over 17 years enforcing labor laws, including as the Labor Bureau Chief for the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and as a Deputy Commissioner in the New York State Department of Labor. 

Issue Areas:

• Workers’ protections and rights
• Labor enforcement
• State and local labor policy

Lauren Melodia

Bluesky: @lmelodia.bsky.social

Lauren Melodia is the Deputy Director of Economic and Fiscal Policies at The Center for New York City Affairs at The New School. She brings over 15 years of experience in policy advocacy and research, organizing, and coalition-building to her role at the Center. Prior to joining the Center, she worked at the Roosevelt Institute, providing research and data analysis on the Covid-19 economic recovery, inflation, and fiscal and monetary policy at the national level. 

Issue Areas:

• Child care policy
• Labor and workforce dynamics
• Inflation and affordability
• Macroeconomic policy

Michael Kinnucan

X: @MichaelKinnucan

Michael Kinnucan is the Director of Health Policy at the Fiscal Policy Institute. Michael has worked with labor unions and home care advocates across the country on Medicaid policy, long-term care, workforce and employer-sponsored insurance issues. Prior to joining FPI, he worked in the labor movement at SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.

Issue Areas:

• Medicaid
• Employer-sponsored health insurance
• Long-term care

Emily Eisner

X: @EmMurphEis

Substack: emilymurphyeisner.substack.com 

Emily Eisner is the Chief Economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute. Emily holds a Ph.D. in Economics from University of California, Berkeley where she studied macroeconomics and public finance. She has studied the role of domestic labor in macroeconomic modeling, as well as the long-term effects of technological change on twentieth century US labor markets. Before joining FPI, Emily worked for the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division. Emily has also taught macroeconomics at Barnard College.

Issue Areas:

• Macroeconomics
• Housing
• Unemployment insurance

Lorelei Salas 

X: @lorelei_salas33

Lorelei Salas is an Adjunct Professor and Leader in Residence in the Economics and Business Department of the Colin Powell School for Civic & Global Leadership/City College of New York. She was the Supervision Director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau until February 2025, leading examinations of banks and other financial institutions. From 2016 to 2021, Salas was the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, the oldest municipal agency in the country enforcing consumer and worker protection laws.

Issue Areas:

• Consumer and worker protection
• Predatory business practices
• Labor rights
• Economic equity and justice

Anisha Steephen 

Anisha Steephen (they/them) is a nationally recognized expert in domestic economic policy and mission-driven investing, with more than 15 years of experience advancing policies that address structural inequality. They are currently an Economic and Tax Policy Fellow at the Economic Security Project and an Associate Fellow at Common Wealth. They previously served as the first Senior Policy Advisor for Racial Equity at the U.S. Department of the Treasury under Secretary Janet L. Yellen.

Issue Areas:

• Domestic economic policy 
• Affordability crisis
• Economic inequality

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