The founding of the United States was far from perfect, reflecting the deep flaws and exploitative practices of the founders themselves. But there was one thing they got right: They created a government charged, in part, with protecting the general welfare. That includes you, me, the American people writ large, and our environment. We at the Center for Progressive Reform have worked for two decades to ensure our government can fulfill this vital mission.
Twenty years ago, a small group of legal scholars came together to found what they called the Center for Progressive Regulation. Over the years, the Center sought to help our government protect public and environmental health for all – and particularly for the most historically marginalized among us.
Our small “think and do tank” has seen remarkable success over the years: We became the nation’s leading authority on progressive regulation, setting the national agenda for government safeguards that protect people and the planet. We led efforts to rescue scientific discovery from political manipulation and expose industry efforts to weaken protective regulations. We pressed presidents, lawmakers, and decision-makers to protect the planet and advance environmental justice. And that’s just the start, as our new impact section shows.
Changing with the Times
During this time, our government – and our society – have changed in profound ways, and so has our organization. A while back, we changed our name to reflect our growing portfolio. We hired a full-time executive director and grew our staff to take on a wider array of projects to protect the public, advance equity, and curb climate change. And we formalized relationships with our network of Member Scholars, a group of five dozen of the nation’s leading legal minds.
These changes ramped up two years ago, as we headed into our 20th year.
In 2021, we hired a new executive director and undertook a strategic planning process that resulted in a new strategic focus, a wholesale content rebrand, and an upgraded website, which we are launching today as we prepare to celebrate our 20th anniversary next month.
Our top priority going forward is bold and equitable climate action. We’re pressing government at the federal and state levels to accelerate a just and equitable transition to clean energy; prevent and repair climate-induced harm to disenfranchised communities; and redress societal inequities relating to the climate crisis.
Another major priority is building a federal bureaucracy that is more inclusive of and responsive to the people. Our administrative state – staffed by thousands of dedicated experts and civil servants – is an inherently democratic institution. It is the government organ through which members of the public can shape the rules and regulations that shape their lives. We’re working to protect and strengthen it.
We’re also continuing our longstanding work to strengthen public protections as our climate changes and inequity widens. We’re working to hold corporations accountable for harming workers and communities and polluting our natural resources in violation of the law.
Embedded in all of our work is a renewed commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ). We are undertaking a comprehensive initiative to apply DEIJ recommendations throughout all aspects of our organization, from operations to programming to communications.
Reflecting a New Focus
To reflect our new strategic focus, we’ve revised our logo, mission, vision, and values statements and reshaped our website to capture and communicate our new focus – and the energy behind it. We’ve anchored our site around our three priorities and emphasized solutions over problems as a way of building engagement. We’ve also added elements to tell our story, highlight our impact, and feature our volunteer Member Scholars, without whom we could not do this work.
As we enter our third decade, we’re committed to helping our government help all of us – from the ravages of climate change, economic inequity, racial discrimination, and corporate greed – and we believe our new look will help us communicate with our audiences and accomplish our goals. We hope you’ll agree and will join us in this important work. Please subscribe to our email list, follow us on social media, and share our new site with your friends, colleagues, and family.
