Rhiana Gunn-Wright

As former director of climate policy at the Roosevelt Institute, Rhiana Gunn-Wright led the think tank’s research at the intersection of climate policy, public investment, racial equity, and public power. Her work aims to examine the role of economic policy and large-scale economic transformation in catalyzing just and rapid responses to the climate crisis.

Rhiana started a career in public policy after graduating from Yale magna cum laude in 2011. As the policy lead for New Consensus, Rhiana was one of the intellectual architects of the Green New Deal. Prior to that, She has also worked as the Policy Analyst for the Detroit Health Department headed by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, and then served as the Policy Director for El-Sayed’s 2018 Michigan gubernatorial campaign. She has also served as a White House policy intern in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Office and the Mariam K. Chamberlain Fellow at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.