About

Thea Lee is the President of the Economic Policy Institute where she engages with states and progressive organizers to help advocate for the needs of working people. She previously served as deputy chief of staff at the AFL-CIO, a voluntary federation of national and international labor unions that represent 12.5 million workers. In this role, she conducted extensive economic research and managed an ambitious policy agenda. Lee co-authored The Field Guide to the Global Economy (The New Press, 2005) and has published several articles about international trade and domestic steel and textile industries. She has spoken before congressional committees and on television and radio platforms to advocate for workers. She has also served on the State Department Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy, the Export-Import Bank Advisory Committee, and the Board of Directors of the National Bureau of Economic Research.Lee holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Smith College.