Neera Tanden

Chief Operating Officer of Center for American Progress (since February 2010)

(HHS)

Why She Matters

As COO of the Center for American Progress (CAP), Tanden helps run one of the most influential think tanks in Washington, D.C.

Tanden has worked on domestic policy both on Capitol Hill and in think tanks since graduating from Yale Law School. She helped the 2008 Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign shape its policy proposals, and worked on Clinton's plans for new energy policies, economic and health-care reforms, as well as her plan to end the Iraq war.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Senior Adviser Health and Human Services Department Office of Health Reform (May 2009 to February 2010); Domestic Policy Director, Barack Obama Presidential Campaign (since 2008); Policy Director, Hillary Rodham Clinton's Presidential Campaign (2007 to 2008); Center for American Progress, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Other Government Positions: Legislative Director, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) ; Associte Director for Domestic Policy, White House Domestic Policy Council

Hometown: Boston, Mass.
Alma Mater: UCLA, B.A., 1992; Yale Law School, JD, 1996

Path to Power

Tanden's belief that the government has an obligation to improve lives developed early. Her family was poor, she says, and she saw first-hand the power of welfare, food stamps, and housing vouchers.

This interest led her to the political arena early in her life. At 18, she volunteered for Massachusetts Gov. Mike Dukakis' presidential campaign, acting as a precinct leader and urging fellow young people to get involved in politics.

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Tanden graduated from UCLA in 1992 and received her degree from Yale Law School in 1996. Then she moved to Washington to serve as senior policy adviser to then First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. She was also the associate director of the Domestic Policy Council, where she addressed such issues as childcare, early learning and after-school programs.

When Clinton decided to run for Senate in 2000, Tanden served as her deputy campaign manager.

In February 2001, Tanden became senior policy adviser to Harold Levy, the former Chancellor of New York City schools. There, she helped shape policy on accountability standards and fiscal equity issues.She has also served as the Issues Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Tanden then moved to the Center for American Progress where she was senior vice president for Domestic Policy and a lobbyist for CAP's action fund. She returned to Capitol Hill as Legislative Director for Clinton, but went back to the Center for American Progress when she was named senior vice president for Academic Affairs.

In January 2007, Tanden was named policy director for Clinton's presidential campaign. In that position, she oversaw all the campaign's policies, domestic and foreign, including universal health care. Tanden was also in charge of preparing the senator for her primary debates.

While she said she admires Barack Obama, she told the New Yorker that she thought Clinton had the mettle to withstand the Republican attack machine. When Obama won the nomination, his team recruited Tanden. She served as its domestic policy director, handling non-economic policy.

After the election, there was speculation that Tanden would be appointed domestic policy adviser. Instead, that position went to Melody Barnes, and Tanden was hired as counselor to Daschle, who was to have a dual role as health care czar in the White House and secretary of health and human services.

When Daschle withdrew his name over failure to pay some taxes, Tanden's role became unclear. In May 2009, as the health-care reform debate heated up, Obama's new pick for HHS secretary, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, created an office of health reform within HHS, run by Daschle's former CAP colleague Jeanne Lambrew. Tanden was appointed a senior adviser.

The Issues

As one of the major forces behind the Center for American Progress, Tanden pushes progressive policies on some of the nation's most controversial issues. Tanden herself is particularly interested in health care, child care and education.

She told the New York Times that she struggles to balance work and family and said "every time that I feel pangs of guilt that I am not at home with my children, I think about how important it will be to my daughter when Hillary is president."

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The Network

At the Center for American Progress, Tanden works under CAP head John D. Podesta, who also ran Obama's transition team. She also works with CAP policy chief Sarah Rosen Wortell. Wortell used to do some of Tanden's job as well, before it was split to allow Tanden to become COO while Wortell focused on policy.

In her previous time at CAP, Tanden worked with Gene Sperling and John Irons, as well as White House Domestic Policy Adviser Melody Barnes, who was then policy chief.

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Additional Resources