Washington, D.C. — Benjamin Olinsky will rejoin the Center for American Progress as the Vice President for Policy and Strategy, the organization announced today. Olinsky joins the Center from the White House, where he served as special assistant to the president for labor and workforce policy. At CAP, Olinsky will work closely with the policy and executive teams to further the organization’s goals of advancing a clear and bold policy agenda that will improve the lives of every American.
“During his first stint at CAP, Ben helped pioneer CAP’s Middle-Out Economics project, researching and publishing policies to strengthen the middle class and reduce income inequality. As progressives refocus on honing and sharpening our policies and messaging, Ben will be particularly well poised to play a role in that effort here at CAP,” said Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at CAP. “His breadth of experience from the Senate to the White House will be an asset to CAP and to our policy experts and teams.”
At the White House, Olinsky helped craft the president’s agenda for labor and employment issues, including raising wages, expanding worker voice, protecting worker safety and health, advancing equal pay, combating discrimination, promoting paid leave, and creating pathways to jobs and opportunity. He coordinated federal efforts to update overtime protections and led the development and implementation of executive actions to raise wages, expand paid leave, and improve labor standards for federal contractors and employees. He also helped lead numerous key initiatives including the White House Equal Pay Pledge, the White House Worker Voice Summit, and a recent rule banning the box in federal hiring. Olinsky, who has also held roles with Sens. Al Franken (D-MN), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Jack Reed (D-RI), previously served at CAP from 2013 to 2014 as a Senior Fellow focusing on economic policy.
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Allison Preiss at [email protected] or 202.478.6331.