Erica Payne
Encyclopedia
Erica C. Payne is an American public policy expert, commentator, author and strategist.
She is the founder of the Agenda Project
, a New York‐based hub of public policy discussion and strategy debate for progressive activists from business, media, philanthropy, government, and non‐profit. The Agenda Project’s monthly newsletter Practical Progress is read by 10,000 political and philanthropic leaders and is a trusted source of insight on policy and politics.
Before joining the Agenda Project full‐time in 2010, Payne led the Tesseract Group, a boutique consulting firm that provided strategy and communications advice to select public policy and political organizations. In that role, Payne served as a senior strategist for the Roosevelt Institute to envision and build a new public policy think tank for economic and finance sector policy. At the Roosevelt Institute, Payne co‐edited "Make Markets Be Markets: Restoring the Integrity of the US Financial Markets" and produced a major conference by the same name that included George Soros
, Elizabeth Warren
, Simon Johnson
, Lynn Turner and other progressive advocates. Other Tesseract clients included: the Brennan Center for Justice
at New York University
, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
, the Howard Gilman Foundation
, and the Center for Independent Media
among others.
Prior to founding the Agenda Project and the Tesseract Group, Payne co‐founded the Democracy Alliance
, a donor collaborative whose partners have invested over $100 million in progressive organizations.
Her early career included serving as Deputy National Finance Director for the Democratic National Committee
during the 1996 presidential re‐election campaign and as a consultant to a number of campaigns and political organizations. In addition to her public sector work, Payne has held senior marketing positions in the private sector.
She is on the Board of Advisors of the Public Diplomacy Collaborative at the Kennedy School at Harvard University
. She is also on the Board of Advisors of Health Care for American Now. Payne has a MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
(2000) and a BA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1991).
of Newsweek
called “a blueprint for a progressive conspiracy to help save the country.” In 2008, Payne was interviewed by Julian Brookes, the online editorial director of the Progressive Book Club, to discuss her motivations for the book and for the progressive cause, as a whole. Payne stated that her intention was to map out the progressive infrastructure by asking the question: "If you were a chief progressive strategist, what five or six groups would you say are absolutely essential?" Payne continues her work of the Practical Progressive through the Agenda Project.
is responsible for progressive campaigns such as F*ck Tea, Hate Begets Hate, Vote Sanity, and Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength, a petition to President Barack Obama
from millionaire
s, who demand that the President let the Bush [tax cuts expire for those who make $1 million or more, where Payne commented that "Only 375,000 Americans have income over $1 million" and "You're asking a small number of people to recognize that our country is in part responsible for their prosperity.". The Agenda Project’s goal is to build a powerful, intelligent, well-connected political movement capable of identifying and advancing rational, effective ideas in the public debate. Their state goal is to "return normal Americans to the center of the policy debate by cultivating an understanding of public policy, facilitating common action, and connecting the best ideas and the strongest leaders with engaged citizens, elected officials, the media, political insiders, and experts through a variety of in-person and on-line platforms." Most recently, their criticism of President Obama for speaking to the Chamber of Commerce
, called You Deserve To Know
, was highlighted by a variety of news sources, including Fox News and CBS
, and featured Payne's direct commentary slamming the President for lying to the American people, and highlighting the failure of the President to cater to his liberal base..
, MSNBC
, and CNBC
. In addition, she has also appeared on The O'Reilly Factor
, GritTV
, and CNN's Parker Spitzer
. She has tackled such diverse topics as the proposed cutbacks to Planned Parenthood
, federal spending, Park51, off-shore drilling, Obama's relationship with business, the mid-term elections, taxes, unemployment benefits, and financial reform. Since Payne is the media face of the Agenda Project, she is often seen on large news networks explaining the organization's recent campaigns. For example, in direct reaction to the controversial "F*ck Tea" Campaign, Payne was seen on CBS
defending the aggressive nature of the campaign. She has been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post for her rigorous attack on President Obama's decision to speak to the Chamber of Commerce. When asked about it directly by USA Today
, Payne replied:
Payne's editorials on the Huffington Post are, at times, scathing of the current political environment. She has written about hate crimes committed against Muslims, as well as repeatedly pointing out and denouncing the ties between financial firms and Congressional staff, which she believes to be the most obvious sign of corruption in our political system. In addition, Payne was one of the first liberal commentators to highlight the Tea Party as a growing threat to American tolerance by providing statistics and a compiled article of the Tea Party politicians' ideas. In response to the Egyptian protests that led to the eventual overthrow of Hosni Mubarak
, Payne condemned American politicians for their response to the series of protests and revolutions occurring in the Middle East. She has gone as far as to say that America's lag on the world stage is due to its inability to break from Cold-War delusions that are no longer applicable on the global, international scene:
. She has a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
(1991) and a MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
(2000). After spending time in Boston
, Colorado
, Los Angeles
, and Washington
, Payne moved to New York City
in 2001, where she now resides.
She is the founder of the Agenda Project
The Agenda Project
The Agenda Project is a New York-based non-profit political organization. It was founded in 2006 by political strategist, commentator, and author, Erica Payne, the founder of the consulting firm, the Tesseract Group...
, a New York‐based hub of public policy discussion and strategy debate for progressive activists from business, media, philanthropy, government, and non‐profit. The Agenda Project’s monthly newsletter Practical Progress is read by 10,000 political and philanthropic leaders and is a trusted source of insight on policy and politics.
Before joining the Agenda Project full‐time in 2010, Payne led the Tesseract Group, a boutique consulting firm that provided strategy and communications advice to select public policy and political organizations. In that role, Payne served as a senior strategist for the Roosevelt Institute to envision and build a new public policy think tank for economic and finance sector policy. At the Roosevelt Institute, Payne co‐edited "Make Markets Be Markets: Restoring the Integrity of the US Financial Markets" and produced a major conference by the same name that included George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
, Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren is an American bankruptcy expert, policy advocate, Harvard Law School professor, and Democratic Party candidate in the 2012 United States Senate election in Massachusetts. She has written several academic and popular books concerning the American economy and personal finance. She...
, Simon Johnson
Simon Johnson
Simon Johnson may refer to:*Simon Johnson , former chief economist of the IMF and professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management.*Simon Johnson , footballer who began his career at Leeds United...
, Lynn Turner and other progressive advocates. Other Tesseract clients included: the Brennan Center for Justice
Brennan Center for Justice
The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School is a non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on issues involving democracy and justice...
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is a nonprofit 501 organization that describes itself as "dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials – regardless of party affiliation – who sacrifice the common good to...
, the Howard Gilman Foundation
Howard Gilman Foundation
The Howard Gilman Foundation is a charitable organization started by Howard Gilman.*Howard Gilman Memorial Park*Howard Gilman Opera House at the Brooklyn Academy of Music*White Oak Plantation in Jacksonville, Florida...
, and the Center for Independent Media
Center for Independent Media
The American Independent News Network, formerly The Center for Independent Media until January 2010, is an American 501 non-profit founded in May 2006 with the stated mission of funding websites that report news from an independent, investigative perspective...
among others.
Prior to founding the Agenda Project and the Tesseract Group, Payne co‐founded the Democracy Alliance
Democracy Alliance
The Democracy Alliance is a partnership of business and philanthropic leaders who commit to making make human and financial donations to organizations the Alliance has endorsed...
, a donor collaborative whose partners have invested over $100 million in progressive organizations.
Her early career included serving as Deputy National Finance Director for the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
during the 1996 presidential re‐election campaign and as a consultant to a number of campaigns and political organizations. In addition to her public sector work, Payne has held senior marketing positions in the private sector.
She is on the Board of Advisors of the Public Diplomacy Collaborative at the Kennedy School at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. She is also on the Board of Advisors of Health Care for American Now. Payne has a MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(2000) and a BA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1991).
The Practical Progressive
Payne is the author of The Practical Progressive: How to Build a 21st Century Political Movement, which Jonathan AlterJonathan Alter
Jonathan Alter is an American journalist and author who was a columnist and senior editor for Newsweek magazine from 1983 until 2011. He is currently a lead columnist for Bloomberg View, a new commentary website. He is also a contributing correspondent to NBC News, where since 1996 he has appeared...
of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
called “a blueprint for a progressive conspiracy to help save the country.” In 2008, Payne was interviewed by Julian Brookes, the online editorial director of the Progressive Book Club, to discuss her motivations for the book and for the progressive cause, as a whole. Payne stated that her intention was to map out the progressive infrastructure by asking the question: "If you were a chief progressive strategist, what five or six groups would you say are absolutely essential?" Payne continues her work of the Practical Progressive through the Agenda Project.
The Agenda Project
The Agenda ProjectThe Agenda Project
The Agenda Project is a New York-based non-profit political organization. It was founded in 2006 by political strategist, commentator, and author, Erica Payne, the founder of the consulting firm, the Tesseract Group...
is responsible for progressive campaigns such as F*ck Tea, Hate Begets Hate, Vote Sanity, and Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength, a petition to President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
from millionaire
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
s, who demand that the President let the Bush [tax cuts expire for those who make $1 million or more, where Payne commented that "Only 375,000 Americans have income over $1 million" and "You're asking a small number of people to recognize that our country is in part responsible for their prosperity.". The Agenda Project’s goal is to build a powerful, intelligent, well-connected political movement capable of identifying and advancing rational, effective ideas in the public debate. Their state goal is to "return normal Americans to the center of the policy debate by cultivating an understanding of public policy, facilitating common action, and connecting the best ideas and the strongest leaders with engaged citizens, elected officials, the media, political insiders, and experts through a variety of in-person and on-line platforms." Most recently, their criticism of President Obama for speaking to the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, called You Deserve To Know
You Deserve To Know
The You Deserve To Know campaign, launched by The Agenda Project, featured a a video on Youtube criticizing President Obama for speaking with the United States Chamber of Commerce without acknowledging its status as the largest lobbyist in the United States and confronting it about its vehement...
, was highlighted by a variety of news sources, including Fox News and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, and featured Payne's direct commentary slamming the President for lying to the American people, and highlighting the failure of the President to cater to his liberal base..
Media appearances
Payne is a regular contributor to Fox Business News, The Ed Schultz ShowThe Ed Schultz Show
The Ed Schultz Show is a radio program hosted by Ed Schultz. It was formerly broadcast from KFGO in Fargo, North Dakota. It is heard on a network of over 100 stations , including seven of the 10 largest radio markets...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, and CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
. In addition, she has also appeared on The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
, GritTV
GRITtv
GRITtv is a television show hosted and founded by Laura Flanders. GRITtv is broadcast from New York City on Free Speech TV via Dish network and on public television stations nationwide, as well as online...
, and CNN's Parker Spitzer
Parker Spitzer
In the Arena was a one-hour show on CNN that premiered October 4, 2010 as Parker Spitzer and was hosted by former New York Democratic governor Eliot Spitzer and Pulitzer Prize-winning political columnist Kathleen Parker. It was broadcast weeknights in prime time at 8 p.m. ET, replacing Campbell...
. She has tackled such diverse topics as the proposed cutbacks to Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
, federal spending, Park51, off-shore drilling, Obama's relationship with business, the mid-term elections, taxes, unemployment benefits, and financial reform. Since Payne is the media face of the Agenda Project, she is often seen on large news networks explaining the organization's recent campaigns. For example, in direct reaction to the controversial "F*ck Tea" Campaign, Payne was seen on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
defending the aggressive nature of the campaign. She has been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post for her rigorous attack on President Obama's decision to speak to the Chamber of Commerce. When asked about it directly by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Payne replied:
Payne's editorials on the Huffington Post are, at times, scathing of the current political environment. She has written about hate crimes committed against Muslims, as well as repeatedly pointing out and denouncing the ties between financial firms and Congressional staff, which she believes to be the most obvious sign of corruption in our political system. In addition, Payne was one of the first liberal commentators to highlight the Tea Party as a growing threat to American tolerance by providing statistics and a compiled article of the Tea Party politicians' ideas. In response to the Egyptian protests that led to the eventual overthrow of Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
, Payne condemned American politicians for their response to the series of protests and revolutions occurring in the Middle East. She has gone as far as to say that America's lag on the world stage is due to its inability to break from Cold-War delusions that are no longer applicable on the global, international scene:
Personal life
Payne grew up in Raleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. She has a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
(1991) and a MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(2000). After spending time in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Payne moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 2001, where she now resides.
External links
- The Agenda Project Website http://agendaproject.org/about.html
- Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength Website http://www.fiscalstrength.com/
- Vote Sanity Website http://votesanity.org/