Expertise: Poverty, child welfare, family economic security
Alexandra Cawthorne Gaines is the vice president of the Poverty to Prosperity Program at American Progress. Prior to her time at American Progress, Gaines directed the human services program within the Economic Opportunity Division at the National Governors Association (NGA). In this capacity, she provided leadership and strategic direction to the NGA’s human services program, which focuses on state policies and programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. Prior to her time at the NGA, she served as research associate for the Anti-Poverty and Women’s Health and Rights programs at American Progress.
Gaines has a career distinguished by service to organizations that advocate on behalf of children and families with low incomes. She has served in advisory roles to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Results for America, and the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities.
Before her focus on state policy, Gaines advocated for federal solutions to the issues that create barriers to economic success. She also served as a legislative assistant with the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in the U.S. Senate. She has held positions in several nonprofits, including the Citizens Commission on Civil Rights and the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, where she assisted in the development of advocacy strategies around education and affordable housing policy. She began her career in Washington, D.C., as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center.
Gaines earned her bachelor’s degree at Vassar College and a master’s degree in legislative affairs from The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.
By Alexandra Cawthorne Gaines
title | website | date |
---|---|---|
The Basic Facts About Women in Poverty | Center for American Progress | August 3, 2020 |
Public Health Requires an Extraordinarily Aggressive Economic Response to Coronavirus Immediately—One That’s Larger Than What Many Imagine | Center for American Progress | March 17, 2020 |
We Can’t Let the Trump Administration Pretend Poverty Away | InsideSources | February 12, 2020 |
Two Sides of the Same Coin | Center for American Progress | December 6, 2010 |
A Matter of Life and Death | Center for American Progress | November 22, 2010 |
Poverty Spikes in the Suburbs | Center for American Progress | November 4, 2010 |
Trouble in the Suburbs | Center for American Progress | October 27, 2010 |
The Not-So-Golden Years | Center for American Progress | September 27, 2010 |
Poverty Is Driving an HIV Epidemic | Center for American Progress | July 21, 2010 |
Abortion Bills by the Numbers | Center for American Progress | June 11, 2010 |
There’s No Place Like Home | Center for American Progress | January 5, 2010 |
Extending Help to the Unemployed | Center for American Progress | November 2, 2009 |
Extending Help to the Unemployed | Center for American Progress | October 27, 2009 |
Labor Pains | Center for American Progress | August 3, 2009 |
Weathering the Storm: Black Men in the Recession | Center for American Progress | April 15, 2009 |
Fighting Poverty in the Recovery Act | Center for American Progress | February 19, 2009 |
Meeting the Needs of Low-Income Families in the Economic Recovery | Center for American Progress | February 3, 2009 |
Homelessness and Hunger on the Rise | Center for American Progress | December 16, 2008 |
Equal Benefits for Women | Center for American Progress | December 9, 2008 |
Fighting the Rising Tide of Hunger in America | Center for American Progress | November 18, 2008 |
Helping the Jobless Helps Us All | Center for American Progress | November 14, 2008 |
The Straight Facts on Women in Poverty | Center for American Progress | October 8, 2008 |
Elderly Poverty: The Challenge Before Us | Center for American Progress | July 30, 2008 |
Fair Pay is a Better Way | Center for American Progress | April 25, 2008 |
We Are Hungry: Solving the Food Crisis at Home | Center for American Progress | April 18, 2008 |