Cortney Sanders is a policy expert and strategist focused on social insurance, fiscal policy, and racial economic equity. She serves as Director of the National Jobs for All Network at The Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School, where she leads strategy to advance a federal job guarantee and the right to meaningful employment. Her work focuses on expanding access to dignified work, strengthening economic security, and shaping policy solutions that address structural inequality.
Previously, Sanders served as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Social Security Administration, Senior Manager at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), where she co-led the State Policy Equity Initiative, and Special Advisor to Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. She is a former Aspen Institute William Hearst Fellow and Aspen Ideas Fellow.
As the 2026 Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist, Sanders is expanding her research efforts examining labor market barriers and its impact on women’s retirement security and longevity. She serves on the Membership Committee of the National Academy of Social Insurance, is a Board Member of PoliChic Texas Engagement Fund, and is a Visiting Policy Fellow with The Policy Academies. She was named one of Women We Admire’s Top 50 Women in Washington, D.C. (2026). Sanders holds a Bachelor’s of Government from the University of Texas, Austin and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.