Washington, D.C. — The American Economic Liberties Project’s Board of Directors today announced that Faiz Shakir has been named Economic Liberties’ Interim Executive Director. The Board also announced that Economic Liberties’ Nidhi Hegde has been promoted to Managing Director.

“In just three years, Economic Liberties catapulted the nascent antimonopoly movement to the national stage, laying the groundwork for President Biden’s whole-of-government fight against concentrated corporate power and supporting transformational work in dozens of statehouses across the country,” said Ross Baird, Chair of the American Economic Liberties Project’s Board of Directors. “We are overjoyed to welcome Faiz Shakir, a battle-tested strategist with a tremendous track record building unique, grassroots coalitions, to join us in this fight. Together with Nidhi Hegde and Economic Liberties’ strong senior team, Shakir will ensure Economic Liberties is able to continue seizing this critical moment to put tackling corporate power at the center of our nation’s economic agenda.”

Faiz Shakir is the Founder and Executive Director of More Perfect Union. He also serves as chief political adviser to Senator Bernie Bernie Sanders, after running his 2020 presidential campaign. Previously, Shakir was ACLU’s National Political Director and served in congressional roles as senior advisors to Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“American Economic Liberties Project has successfully built a policy movement that has convinced some of our most powerful government actors to take on the corporate concentration which endangers so many basic freedoms,” said Faiz Shakir, Economic Liberties’ new Interim Executive Director. “I’m honored to help the talented team carry on, amplify, and build upon the influential advocacy it is already doing.”

Nidhi Hegde has served as Director of Strategy & Programs at the American Economic Liberties Project since helping to develop and launch Economic Liberties as an independent organization in early 2020. Prior to joining Economic Liberties, she was Chief Operating Officer and Senior Advisor at the Open Markets Institute, where she led organizational strategy and operations. Hegde has extensive experience as a strategy consultant working with foundations, startups, small and medium-sized businesses, and development agencies on issues like entrepreneurship and impact investing.

“Building Economic Liberties with this talented team has been an incredible privilege and joy over the last three years,” said Nidhi Hegde, Managing Director of the American Economic Liberties Project. “I’m excited to embark on this next phase and confident Economic Liberties will be able to further deliver on its promise to create a fair and resilient economy that works for entrepreneurs, workers, small businesses, and communities everywhere.”

Shakir will lead Economic Liberties as Interim Executive Director until the Economic Liberties Board of Directors appoint a permanent Executive Director.

Learn more about Economic Liberties here.

###

The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.