Patrick
Gaspard

President and Chief Executive Officer, Center for American Progress

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For more on Gaspard’s vision for CAP and the progressive movement as a whole, please see video from the event “A New Era for American Progress”: 

Patrick Gaspard is the president and chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress and the chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Patrick Gaspard was a key figure in President Barack Obama’s administration and held a number of prominent positions during Obama’s two terms in office, including serving as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Africa in the second term.

From the fall 2011 until the spring 2013, Gaspard served as executive director of the Democratic National Committee, where he steered the national party’s role in reelecting the president and oversaw a $300 million budget and 500 staff.

From 2009 until 2011, he was assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Political Affairs. He also served as the associate director of personnel for the Obama transition and the national political director for the historic 2008 campaign.

Gaspard most recently served as the president of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), one of the largest private philanthropies in the world. He first joined the foundation as its global vice president, responsible for its regional programs across five continents and its global advocacy strategy in multiple world capitals. He quickly became president during his first year in OSF in 2017 and went on to serve in that role for four years. As president, he managed and set the strategy for a $1.4 billion dollar budget and a staff of 1,600.

During his tenure, he confronted significant threats to open societies around the globe, including the rise of authoritarian regimes and the spread of COVID-19 worldwide. In 2020, Gaspard conceptualized and stewarded Open Society’s urgent contribution of $200 million in investments to support essential workers and other communities hit hardest by COVID-19. He also shaped the foundation’s $220 million commitment to civil rights groups in the wake of the national reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd.

During his tenure as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, from 2013 to 2016, he led over 1,000 staff and an annual budget of more than $600 million from 29 different government agencies. Gaspard led the effort to redesign PEPFAR—the U.S. government’s HIV/AIDS initiative—to integrate it effectively into the South African health care system. He also successfully led the trade negotiations that led to an unprecedented 10-year renewal of the bilateral African Growth and Opportunity compact between the trading partners.

Gaspard was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, to Haitian parents. He grew up in New York City and had a long career there and nationally in organized labor, electoral politics, and public service. He started as a union organizer and rose to become executive vice president for politics and legislation of the Local 1199 branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the largest unions in the United States. He went on to serve as the national political director for the national organization and its 2 million members.

Gaspard attended Columbia University and is the recipient of honorary doctorates from Columbia University and Bard College. He has also been awarded the Spingarn Medal, which is the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP.

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To Resolve the Humanitarian and Administrative Border Crisis, the U.S. Must Fix the Broken Asylum System, Help Stabilize the Western Hemisphere, and Provide Robust, Orderly Migration Pathways

The just-released Senate border deal is a sincere, bipartisan attempt to create much needed order at the U.S.-Mexico border; release pressure on the broken asylum system, resource agencies, and communities; and provide other targeted solutions across the immigration system. However, to achieve and sustain order at the border, Congress must more boldly address what drives migration in the region and must create accessible lawful pathways that are an alternative to asylum.

Congress Must Provide Funding and Protect Oversight To Meet Global Security and Humanitarian Needs Article
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Congress Must Provide Funding and Protect Oversight To Meet Global Security and Humanitarian Needs

Recent bipartisan Senate legislation provides security and humanitarian assistance in critical areas—Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, and the Indo-Pacific—but Congress must ensure more oversight so that the funds are used according to U.S. law and policy.

Patrick Gaspard’s Statement for the Senate AI Insight Forum on Workforce Article

Patrick Gaspard’s Statement for the Senate AI Insight Forum on Workforce

Patrick Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, attended Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's Senate Artificial Intelligence Insight Forum on Workforce in November 2023; his statement at the event addressed the challenges and opportunities of AI, and he urged Congress to act.

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Official COP28 Side Event: Trade in a Climate-Constrained World: Adding Value From U.S. Manufacturing to Indian Entrepreneurship

The Center for American Progress, the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, and Development Alternatives are excited to host this official UNFCCC COP28 side event in Dubai.

Response to Horrific Attacks in Israel Must Avoid Collective Punishment for Gaza and Confront Obstacles to Peace Article
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Response to Horrific Attacks in Israel Must Avoid Collective Punishment for Gaza and Confront Obstacles to Peace

The horrifying Hamas terror attack on Israeli civilians has provoked an understandable imperative to bring the perpetrators to justice, but Israel must avoid collective punishment for Gaza that can bring a loss of moral clarity and reinforce historic grievances.

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Transforming the Economy: Forging Black Economic Power Across America Past Event
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Transforming the Economy: Forging Black Economic Power Across America

Join the Center for American Progress and the National Partnership of Women & Families on Martha’s Vineyard for a moderated panel which explores new ways to promote economic opportunity in Black communities.

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