In this episode, Mariam sits down with Alex Edwards (he/him) to talk about his career in the think tank and public policy sector. Alex shares how working in a restaurant kitchen was a microcosm of the inequities of our society, and how that experience set him on an unconventional path into social impact. Mariam and Alex talk about everything from the nonprofit industrial complex to the impact of Trump’s election on the social sector to why authenticity in the workplace matters.

Alex Edwards is the Director of Communications at The Century Foundation, a leading progressive think tank focused on pursuing equity in both domestic and US foreign policy. He leads Century’s work to shape public opinion and elevate the organization’s ideas in the media and among policymakers — including the work of Next100, a startup think tank that Century launched in 2019 with the explicit goal of making the think tank and policy sector more inclusive. Previously, Alex worked at BerlinRosen, a political communications firm, as well as human rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights First, along with President Obama’s re-election campaign. 

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