The Century Foundation (TCF), a leading progressive think tank, today announced that highly respected policy expert and leader Julie Margetta Morgan will become the organization’s eighth president in its 106-year history, effective April 1. Morgan, who has a long track record of reforming government and finding real solutions for families, takes the helm at TCF at a moment when Americans are facing enormous challenges and the government’s ability to address those challenges is increasingly under attack.
For two decades, Margetta Morgan has been at the forefront of driving innovative policymaking, strengthening democratic institutions, and fighting corruption and corporate abuses in areas such as health care, education, and finance. She joins TCF as the organization doubles down on its work and leadership across domestic and economic policy, focusing on research and policy development that provides practical solutions to the issues top of mind for Americans, from the cost of living to safe and affordable healthcare to strong public schools.
“Julie is a visionary leader who throughout her career has pushed the bounds for what progressives can achieve through public policy,” said Bradley Abelow, Chairman of TCF’s Board of Trustees. “Julie understands that Americans want the government to make their lives easier, not harder, and has a proven track record of leveraging every tool at the government’s disposal to make a positive impact on people’s lives. Her reputation as a brilliant strategist, policy innovator, and team builder is second to none and makes her the perfect person to carry The Century Foundation’s legacy into our next chapter.”
“It is a tremendous honor to be named The Century Foundation’s next president,” said TCF President Julie Margetta Morgan. “At a time when too many families are struggling to make ends meet and government has been hijacked to serve the interests of the wealthy and big business, it is critically important that we rise to the occasion—to get more creative, ambitious, and bold in not only defending against growing attacks, but to chart a positive vision for what America can and should look like. TCF is uniquely built for a moment like this, and I can’t wait to join the world-class team and get to work.”
“Julie is talented, tenacious, and willing to tackle the toughest problems our country is facing,” said U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Whether it’s student loans, health care, or housing, Julie has been a key architect on how to reform our broken system. With Julie at the helm, The Century Foundation will help to chart a new course to unrig our economy and our democracy.”
“Julie’s combination of creativity and sharp instincts is exactly what is needed to develop a new playbook to ensure the economy works for everyone, and not those at the top,” said former CFPB Director and FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra. “With Julie’s appointment, The Century Foundation will be well-positioned to inject new ideas that will move our country forward.”
“Julie’s proven leadership in finding solutions to the challenges facing Americans makes her the perfect person to lead The Century Foundation,” said Miguel Cardona, the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education. “Whether it’s strengthening our public schools, fixing higher education and easing the burden of student debt, or making sure that government works effectively, Julie has been at the forefront of fighting for and delivering real change for families. During these profoundly difficult times for our country, we need more leaders like Julie.”
About Julie Margetta Morgan
Margetta Morgan comes to TCF after holding senior positions in the Biden-Harris administration, including as Acting Under Secretary and Deputy Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education and, later, as Associate Director of Research, Monitoring, and Regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she oversaw a division of over 250 staff responsible for setting and advancing CFPB’s policy agenda. She also served on the Biden-Harris transition as a member of the COVID-19 response team.
Margetta Morgan designed several of the Biden administration’s most impactful higher education and consumer finance policies, including reforms to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and income-driven repayment plans that culminated in more than $180 billion in loan forgiveness for five million student borrowers. At CFPB, she was a key architect behind many of the agency’s landmark efforts to protect consumers and hold predatory actors accountable, including the agency’s work on junk fees, medical debt, and the rising cost of credit cards, among other efforts.
Margetta Morgan brings a wealth of experience spanning government, academia, philanthropy, and think tanks. She previously worked at the Roosevelt Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as senior counsel to Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and senior advisor to Sen. Warren’s presidential campaign, and at the Center for American Progress. At Roosevelt, she cofounded and was executive director of the Great Democracy Initiative, an effort to develop bold policy solutions—not just technocratic tweaks—to address structural problems facing our democracy, from unaccountable policymakers to corporations with outsized influence.
Margetta Morgan holds a Ph.D. in higher education from Boston College, a J.D. from Boston College Law School, and a B.A. in philosophy from the College of William and Mary. Her full bio is available here.
About TCF
Founded in 1919 by progressive business leader Edward Filene, TCF is an independent think tank that pursues economic, racial, gender, and disability equity in education, health care, and work, and promotes U.S. foreign policy that fosters international cooperation, peace, and security. Margetta Morgan succeeds Mark Zuckerman, who has served as president since 2015. In the last decade, Century has more than tripled its staff and annual budget and significantly increased its influence on Capitol Hill and in state and local legislatures, in addition to launching a novel spinoff think tank in 2019, Next100.
In recent years, TCF has been at the forefront of protecting the Affordable Care Act, led the fight to secure $800+ billion in expanded aid to unemployed workers during the pandemic, and was the first to sound the alarm about the nation’s fiscal “child care cliff.” Since January, Century has welcomed eleven full-time senior fellows from the Biden administration, including Julie Su, former acting U.S. secretary of labor; Lauren McFerran, former chair of the National Labor Relations Board; Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); and Carole Johnson, former administrator of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), among others.
Julie Margetta Morgan Named President of The Century Foundation
The Century Foundation (TCF), a leading progressive think tank, today announced that highly respected policy expert and leader Julie Margetta Morgan will become the organization’s eighth president in its 106-year history, effective April 1. Morgan, who has a long track record of reforming government and finding real solutions for families, takes the helm at TCF at a moment when Americans are facing enormous challenges and the government’s ability to address those challenges is increasingly under attack.
For two decades, Margetta Morgan has been at the forefront of driving innovative policymaking, strengthening democratic institutions, and fighting corruption and corporate abuses in areas such as health care, education, and finance. She joins TCF as the organization doubles down on its work and leadership across domestic and economic policy, focusing on research and policy development that provides practical solutions to the issues top of mind for Americans, from the cost of living to safe and affordable healthcare to strong public schools.
“Julie is a visionary leader who throughout her career has pushed the bounds for what progressives can achieve through public policy,” said Bradley Abelow, Chairman of TCF’s Board of Trustees. “Julie understands that Americans want the government to make their lives easier, not harder, and has a proven track record of leveraging every tool at the government’s disposal to make a positive impact on people’s lives. Her reputation as a brilliant strategist, policy innovator, and team builder is second to none and makes her the perfect person to carry The Century Foundation’s legacy into our next chapter.”
“It is a tremendous honor to be named The Century Foundation’s next president,” said TCF President Julie Margetta Morgan. “At a time when too many families are struggling to make ends meet and government has been hijacked to serve the interests of the wealthy and big business, it is critically important that we rise to the occasion—to get more creative, ambitious, and bold in not only defending against growing attacks, but to chart a positive vision for what America can and should look like. TCF is uniquely built for a moment like this, and I can’t wait to join the world-class team and get to work.”
“Julie is talented, tenacious, and willing to tackle the toughest problems our country is facing,” said U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Whether it’s student loans, health care, or housing, Julie has been a key architect on how to reform our broken system. With Julie at the helm, The Century Foundation will help to chart a new course to unrig our economy and our democracy.”
“Julie’s combination of creativity and sharp instincts is exactly what is needed to develop a new playbook to ensure the economy works for everyone, and not those at the top,” said former CFPB Director and FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra. “With Julie’s appointment, The Century Foundation will be well-positioned to inject new ideas that will move our country forward.”
“Julie’s proven leadership in finding solutions to the challenges facing Americans makes her the perfect person to lead The Century Foundation,” said Miguel Cardona, the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education. “Whether it’s strengthening our public schools, fixing higher education and easing the burden of student debt, or making sure that government works effectively, Julie has been at the forefront of fighting for and delivering real change for families. During these profoundly difficult times for our country, we need more leaders like Julie.”
About Julie Margetta Morgan
Margetta Morgan comes to TCF after holding senior positions in the Biden-Harris administration, including as Acting Under Secretary and Deputy Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education and, later, as Associate Director of Research, Monitoring, and Regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she oversaw a division of over 250 staff responsible for setting and advancing CFPB’s policy agenda. She also served on the Biden-Harris transition as a member of the COVID-19 response team.
Margetta Morgan designed several of the Biden administration’s most impactful higher education and consumer finance policies, including reforms to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and income-driven repayment plans that culminated in more than $180 billion in loan forgiveness for five million student borrowers. At CFPB, she was a key architect behind many of the agency’s landmark efforts to protect consumers and hold predatory actors accountable, including the agency’s work on junk fees, medical debt, and the rising cost of credit cards, among other efforts.
Margetta Morgan brings a wealth of experience spanning government, academia, philanthropy, and think tanks. She previously worked at the Roosevelt Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as senior counsel to Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and senior advisor to Sen. Warren’s presidential campaign, and at the Center for American Progress. At Roosevelt, she cofounded and was executive director of the Great Democracy Initiative, an effort to develop bold policy solutions—not just technocratic tweaks—to address structural problems facing our democracy, from unaccountable policymakers to corporations with outsized influence.
Margetta Morgan holds a Ph.D. in higher education from Boston College, a J.D. from Boston College Law School, and a B.A. in philosophy from the College of William and Mary. Her full bio is available here.
About TCF
Founded in 1919 by progressive business leader Edward Filene, TCF is an independent think tank that pursues economic, racial, gender, and disability equity in education, health care, and work, and promotes U.S. foreign policy that fosters international cooperation, peace, and security. Margetta Morgan succeeds Mark Zuckerman, who has served as president since 2015. In the last decade, Century has more than tripled its staff and annual budget and significantly increased its influence on Capitol Hill and in state and local legislatures, in addition to launching a novel spinoff think tank in 2019, Next100.
In recent years, TCF has been at the forefront of protecting the Affordable Care Act, led the fight to secure $800+ billion in expanded aid to unemployed workers during the pandemic, and was the first to sound the alarm about the nation’s fiscal “child care cliff.” Since January, Century has welcomed eleven full-time senior fellows from the Biden administration, including Julie Su, former acting U.S. secretary of labor; Lauren McFerran, former chair of the National Labor Relations Board; Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); and Carole Johnson, former administrator of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), among others.