Sonal Shah

A woman with medium skin tone and long, black hair parted to the side smiles for the camera. She wears a bright blue top and crosses her arms in front of her.

Chief Executive Officer at The Texas Tribune

Sonal Shah is the chief executive officer at The Texas Tribune. She has started and led social impact efforts in academia, government, and the private and philanthropic sectors for over 25 years. Previously, she served as interim executive vice president at United Way Worldwide. Sonal founded The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) in Houston and founded and led Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation. Her background in government and policy include leading the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation in the Obama administration, serving as an international economist at the Department of the Treasury, and as policy director for Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign. In the private sector, Sonal led Goldman Sachs' environmental strategy and Google's global technology and impact investment initiatives. Sonal grew up in Houston, earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in economics from Duke University.

Meet our 2023 Democracy Forum Speakers

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Baratunde Thurston

Democracy Forum Host
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Wemimo Abbey

Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Esusu
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Peter Adams

Senior Vice President of Research and Design of the News Literacy Project
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Aleena Agrawal

Director of Talent Solutions at P33
Ellen Alberding

Ellen Alberding

President and CEO, The Joyce Foundation
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Ian Bassin

Co-founder and Executive Director of Protect Democracy
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Brian Deese

MIT Innovation Fellow
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Hany Farid

Professor at the University of California, Berkeley
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Nancy Gibbs

Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice and Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School
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Emma Grede

Entrepreneur & Chairwoman of The Fifteen Percent Pledge and the CEO and Co-Founder of Good American
Regina Hall

Regina Hall

Award-winning actress and producer
Mary Kay Henry (Fair Economies and the Future of Work)

Mary Kay Henry

International President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
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Darryl Holliday

Journalist, civic strategist, and media organizer
Valerie Jarrett Headshot

Valerie Jarrett

Chief Executive Officer
Major Brandon Johnson

Mayor Brandon Johnson

Mayor of Chicago
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Terah Lyons

Founding Executive Director of the Partnership on AI
Anna Makanju Headshot (Weighing AI and Human Progress)

Anna Makanju

OpenAI's Vice President of Global Affairs
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Governor Wes Moore

Governor of the state of Maryland
Alondra Nelson Headshot (Weighing AI and Human Progress)

Alondra Nelson

Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study
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Suzanne Nossel

CEO, PEN America
Chiedo Nwankwor

Chiedo Nwankwor

Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs, Interim Director of SAIS Europe, Senior Lecturer, and Director of SAIS Women Lead
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President Obama

44th president of the United States
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John Palfrey

President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
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DeMario Phipps-Smith

Senior Manager of Community Learning at News Literacy Project.
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Alex Smith

Founder of The Cares Family
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Betsey Stevenson

Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Michigan
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Mandy Teefey

Co-Founder and CEO of Wondermind
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Shani Tran

Licensed therapist and author
Raquel Vazquez Llorente Headshot (Weighing AI and Human Progress)

Raquel Vazquez Llorente

Head of Law & Policy, Technology, Threats and Opportunities - WITNESS
Judy Woodruff Headshot (Democracy-s Immune System)

Judy Woodruff

Senior Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour

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