Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PolicyLink Angela Glover Blackwell has been named the first Fred and Rita Richman Distinguished Fellow in Public Life, according to a Feb. 6 BrandeisNOW press release.

According to its website, the fellowship was created by Brandeis Trustee Carol Richman Saivetz '69 and is hosted by International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life on behalf of the Office of the President. The goal is to recognize individuals who have made "significant impacts on improving American society, strengthening democratic institutions, advancing social justice or increasing opportunities for all citizens to realize and share in the benefits of this nation."

As part of her appointment, Blackwell will receive a $25,000 award funded by the Richman and Saivetz families and will come to campus on March 24 and 25 "to discuss the field of social justice and to provide insight on effective social justice advocacy" with students and faculty. During her time here, she will also hold a public lecture, according to the press release.

According to the mission statement found on its website, PolicyLink is a "national research and action institute" founded in 1999 that aims to develop "sustainable communities of opportunity that allow everyone to participate and prosper." The organization seeks to make federal policy "more equitable" to improve the lives of people of color and people from low-income communities, by increasing their access to "quality jobs, affordable housing, good schools" and other benefits.

"[Blackwell's] contributions span multiple areas of public policy but follow a common thread that links advocacy goals to tangible improvement of public health, economic vitality and neighborhood infrastructure," said University President Frederick Lawrence in the press release.

According to PolicyLink's website, Blackwell, who earned her bachelor's degree at Howard University and her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, was a senior vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation. Currently, she co-chairs a task force on poverty at the Center for American Progress and sits on the President's Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

-Sara Dejene