Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman is an award-winning researcher, writer, and speaker who studies workplace leadership and talent management. She’s a dynamic voice in conversations about inclusive policy-making, driven by the hope and promise of the next generation. She has spoken at conferences such as SXSW and NextUp, and at organizations including Google, Hallmark, the Ford Foundation, and Stanford University.

In 2022, she published The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Broken System, a critically acclaimed collection featuring scholars and experts across economics, education, health, climate, criminal justice, and technology. She was named to the inaugural class of Forbes 30 Under 30 Boston. Her work is inspiring and impactful for the world we are building.

At the core of her research and advocacy, Anna focuses on addressing challenges faced by vulnerable populations. The Black Agenda highlights scholarship and expertise from leading voices across the U.S. The book has been praised by countless experts and New York Times bestselling authors, with Chelsea Clinton stating, “The Black Agenda is urgent. It’s urgent that people recognize that centering, listening to, and being led by the voices in this book are the start to investing in societal solutions.”

In addition to her research and policy work, Anna has led multiple award-winning youth initiatives and is attuned to the priorities of Generation Z. In 2018, she co-founded the Sadie Collective, the first nonprofit organization in the U.S. to address the underrepresentation of Black women and girls in the quantitative sciences. Under her leadership, the Collective gained support from leaders across economics, policy, and industry, including Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury. Her efforts earned her the 2020 CEDAW Women’s Rights Award by the United Nations, making her the youngest recipient in its history. Past recipients include Vice President Kamala Harris and former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Anna’s writing and commentary have been widely featured in TIME Magazine, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Forbes, and Newsweek. In 2019, she co-authored a viral New York Times op-ed with Dr. Lisa D. Cook, the first woman of color to sit on the Federal Reserve Board, about the importance of women’s representation in economics. Anna’s research and insights are sought after by policymakers, nonprofits, campuses, and companies worldwide.

She is the author of the forthcoming book The Double Tax, which explores how the costs of womanhood affect lives across racial lines and what this means for society. Anna is currently a doctoral candidate studying Public Policy and Economics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and an alumna of UMBC, where she received her B.A. in Mathematics with a minor in Economics. She is a National Science Foundation Doctoral Fellow, Ford Foundation Fellow, a fellow of the Stone Program in Wealth Distribution, Inequality & Social Policy, and a former research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Center.