Roosevelt Institute Announces New Board Members

Four new board members add insight, diversity, and expertise


New York, NY—The Roosevelt Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of four new members to its board of directors: Sharon Block, executive director of the Labor and Worklife Program and lecturer at Harvard Law School; Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, physician and activist; Darla Kashian, senior vice president and financial advisor with RBC Wealth Management; and Dawn Smalls, partner at Jenner & Block.

Appointees will join a 27-member board, which includes leading figures from the nonprofit sector, academia, public service, organized labor, and the media. Individual expertise of each board member includes:

Sharon Block is the executive director of the Labor and Worklife Program and a lecturer at Harvard Law School. At the Labor and Worklife Program, with Professor Benjamin Sachs, Sharon is leading the Clean Slate Project for Worker Power, an initiative to develop recommendations for rewriting labor law to make it capable of empowering all workers to demand a truly equitable American democracy and a genuinely equitable American economy

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is a physician, epidemiologist, public health expert, and progressive activist. He is the Chair of Southpaw Michigan. His forthcoming book, Healing Politics (Abrams Press), diagnoses our country’s epidemic of insecurity and the empathy politics we will need to treat it, and he is the host of America Dissected, a podcast by Crooked Media, which goes beyond the headlines to explore what really matters for our health

Darla Kashian is a senior vice president and financial advisor with RBC Wealth Management. Her advisory practice focuses on wealth and philanthropic planning for high net-worth families, foundations, and donor advised funds. In addition to her professional success, Darla has been recognized by RBC for her commitment to the community as recipient of the Weiser Diversity Leadership Award and the McFarland Volunteer of the Year

Dawn Smalls is an accomplished leader with experience in the law, politics, government, and philanthropy. She currently serves as a partner in the law firm of Jenner & Block. From 2015 to 2018 Dawn served as a Commissioner of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. She currently serves as a national board member of the American Constitution Society, a national legal organization that seeks to advance a progressive vision of the law

“Following the spring 2019 launch of our New Rules for the 21st Century report, and our recent reports on the new progressive worldview, we’ve set out to accomplish a big agenda. Our board is a crucial part of that work,” said Felicia Wong, president and CEO. “I am excited to channel the addition of Sharon, Abdul, Darla, and Dawn’s expertise and energy into furthering our mission.”

About the Roosevelt Institute

The Roosevelt Institute brings together multiple generations of thinkers and leaders to help drive key economic and social debates. With a focus on curbing corporate power and reclaiming public power, Roosevelt is helping people understand that the economy is shaped by choices—via institutions and the rules that structure markets—while also exploring the economics of race and gender and the changing 21st-century economy. Roosevelt is armed with a transformative vision for the future, working to move the country toward a new economic and political system: one built by many for the good of all.

To keep up to date with the Roosevelt Institute, please visit us on Twitter or follow our work at #RewriteTheRules.

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