Brandon McKoy is stepping down as head of New Jersey Policy Perspective to join the senior leadership team of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington, D.C.- based think tank that promotes public policies to reduce poverty and advance equity.
McKoy has been with NJPP for the past seven years, serving as president for the last two and a half. He will officially leave the group at the end of October.
NJPP’s board of trustees will begin a search for a new president.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead NJPP through this deeply transformative chapter,” McKoy said. “Over the last few years, we have grown substantially — in funding, size and influence — and radically reshaped the narrative on the role of state budgets in advancing racial equity.
“While this is a bittersweet moment, my new position will provide me a platform to counsel, strengthen and resource NJPP and other state think tanks across the country so that they are better able to model our success.”
In November, McKoy will become the vice president of state partnerships at CBPP, providing strategic support to a network of think tanks across 41 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
Under McKoy’s leadership, NJPP has grown bigger, stronger and more diverse than ever before, with a larger staff, more funding and a broader research portfolio than at any other time in the organization’s 25-year history.
And, while his organization generally supported the progressive ideas of Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration, McKoy and NJPP were willing to call out the governor if they felt his policy actions were not going far enough.
Murphy saluted McKoy.
“Brandon’s departure will leave a void in Trenton,” he said. “As president of New Jersey Policy Perspective, Brandon was heavily involved in advocating for many of our administration’s biggest accomplishments, including enacting a pathway to the $15 minimum wage and restoring the millionaire’s tax.
“While I am sad to see him leave, I know that his work on dismantling structures of racism and wealth disparity has made this state a better place for working families, and that he will bring the same values and perspective to Washington.”
CBPP President Sharon Parrott said McKoy will be a welcome addition.
“Through his bold and strategic thinking, tireless advocacy on behalf of low- and moderate-income New Jerseyans, and commitment to racial and economic justice, Brandon has led NJPP to new heights and cemented himself as a respected leader in the State Priorities Partnership network,” Parrott said. “I am thrilled to have him join CBPP, where his work will continue to have a profound impact on families and communities in states across the country.”
Earlier this month, McKoy was one of the Top 30 honorees on the 2021 ROI Influencers: People of Color list.
