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Press release/statement

Demos Welcomes Angela Hanks as Chief of Programs  

Angela Hanks has joined the Demos staff as Chief of Programs. Hanks comes to the organization with extensive experience working within the public and nonprofit sectors and a passion for the pursuit of racial equity.

New York, NY — Today, Demos announced Angela Hanks has joined its staff as Chief of Programs. Hanks comes to the organization with extensive experience working within the public and nonprofit sectors and a passion for the pursuit of racial equity.  

Angela has a record of using her talents to move the needle forward, and I’m glad to have her join us as Demos works to build a country in which Black and brown people can thrive.

“As our country continues to face economic challenges and threats to voting rights, Demos is pleased to welcome a leader who is ready, willing and able to challenge the status quo,” said Demos President Taifa Smith Butler. “Angela has a record of using her talents to move the needle forward, and I’m glad to have her join us as Demos works to build a country in which Black and brown people can thrive.”  

Hanks most recently worked at the U.S. Department of Labor as Acting Assistant Secretary within the Employment and Training Administration where she oversaw a nearly $10 billion budget and worked to advance the Administration’s priorities on equity, job quality, and worker empowerment within the agency’s work on workforce development, Unemployment Insurance, trade, and guest worker programs, and more.  

“For more than 20 years, Demos has been vital to the effort to build power for Black and brown communities, and I’ve long admired this organization’s work to defend democracy and advance economic justice,” said Demos Chief of Programs Angela Hanks. “I look forward to working with the Demos team to continue that work, particularly in a moment when the rights of people all across this country are under assault.” 

  

Angela Hanks Headshot

Angela Hanks, Chief of Programs  

Angela Hanks comes to Demos with more than a decade of experience working on federal economic policy and a passion for dismantling systemic inequality. In her role as Chief of Programs, she manages Demos staff working on litigation, policy research, and movement building.   

Prior to Demos, Hanks was Acting Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor. Before serving at the Department of Labor, Hanks was the Deputy Executive Director of the Groundwork Collaborative, where she worked to advance a cross-cutting economic narrative for the progressive movement.  

Before joining Groundwork in 2019, Hanks served as director of the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success at CLASP, director of workforce development policy at the Center for American Progress (CAP), and senior federal policy analyst at the National Skills Coalition. She began her career on Capitol Hill as a counsel on the democratic staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee and legislative assistant to Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD).  

Hanks is a graduate of George Washington University and the University of Maryland School of Law.