Samantha Tweedy

CEO

Samantha Tweedy is an accomplished executive who has spent two decades working to increase economic mobility and opportunity for Black people.

Samantha is the first-ever Chief Executive Officer of the Black Economic Alliance (BEA), a coalition of business leaders and aligned advocates committed to economic progress and prosperity in the Black community with a specific focus on work, wages, and wealth. Previously, she served as the inaugural President of the BEA Foundation — leading the organization’s efforts to produce cutting-edge research, practical solutions, and programming to create better access to good-paying jobs, livable wages, and wealth creation for Black people.

Before joining BEA, Samantha was the first Chief Partnerships and Impact Officer at the Robin Hood Foundation, one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations. She developed and directed the Power Fund to invest in nonprofit leaders of color and the High-Quality Schools Fund to support innovative school models for New York City’s most under-resourced communities. She also was instrumental in creating the NinetyToZero partnership among America’s leading companies and organizations to combat the racial wealth gap through increased investment in Black talent and Black businesses.

Samantha brings a unique mix of on-the-ground and executive experience to her leadership. She served as the first Chief Advancement Officer at Uncommon Schools, a network of public charter schools serving historically disadvantaged students of color who go on to graduate from four-year colleges at higher rates than students from the wealthiest American households. She also founded and directed an elementary school that won the National Blue Ribbon School Award for its success in closing racial and socioeconomic opportunity gaps.

After graduating from Yale Law School and Duke University magna cum laude, Samantha began her career as an attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she worked on landmark school equity litigation to close the public school spending gaps that disproportionately impact students of color and practiced commercial litigation.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Samantha lives in Bed Stuy with her husband and two children, Stokely and Evers. She is a Pahara Fellow and serves as a board and advisory member for a number of organizations dedicated to racial and economic justice, including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and The Highland Project.

Alaina Beverly

Executive Vice President

Alaina Beverly is an expert in urban policy, civil rights, and racial equity.

Alaina is the Executive Vice President of the Black Economic Alliance (BEA) Foundation, the nation’s leading organization harnessing the collective expertise and influence of Black business leaders and to advance work, wages, and wealth across the Black community.

Before joining BEA Foundation, she served as the Assistant Vice President for Urban Affairs in the Office of Federal Relations at the University of Chicago, where she was responsible for driving action on the University’s research, scholarship, and models of urban investment through engagement with policymakers and national partners. She is the founding director of Urban America Forward, an annual program that convenes practitioners from across the country who are committed to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion in America’s cities.

Previously, Alaina served the Obama Administration as Associate Director for the White House Office of Urban Affairs. In that role, she laid the foundation for President Obama’s urban office by identifying models to make cities more sustainable, competitive, and inclusive. She was also a Principal at The Raben Group, a prestigious public policy and advocacy firm in Washington DC.

Alaina began her career as a voting rights attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and Advancement Project. She went on to serve on the 2008 Obama for America Campaign as the National Deputy Director for African-American Outreach. In that role she developed the national campaign strategy for engaging African-American voters and grass-top leaders.

Alaina is a graduate of Stanford University and University of Michigan Law School.