Allison Zelman

Chief Strategy Officer

As chief strategy officer, Allison Zelman will lead strategy development, oversee the 501(c)(4) partner organization Roosevelt Forward, and direct the Institute’s government affairs, partner engagement, and communications efforts. She will play a central role in advancing Roosevelt’s mission to redefine the role of government in managing the economy for the public good.

Zelman has spent the past two decades in leadership roles across government, advocacy, and political organizations, with a focus on labor rights, economic mobility, and other issues affecting working people. She most recently served as Chief of Staff at the US Department of Labor, following earlier roles at the Department and in the Obama White House.

Allison also served as the Director of Climate and Clean Energy Advocacy and Policy at Breakthrough Energy, a project of Gates Ventures, and held various roles at the Center for American Progress. She brings extensive political experience, having served in senior positions on three presidential campaigns and at the Democratic National Committee. Allison lives in Washington, D.C., with her spouse and three children.