The charitable sector fills many roles in American life. What isn’t widely seen by the public is how no matter which party is in power the sector must often follow the elected around cleaning up the government’s mess like the guy at the circus who carries a shovel and follows the elephants.
Just a side comment on general failings of the nonprofit sector. Forget which side of advocacy you might take, as of this writing 18 million fewer votes were cast in this presidential election compared to the 2020 race. Where did all the fervor go? What happened to the get out the vote cash spent by both sides?
There is a path for lessening the slings and arrows coming from Capitol Hill. The next administration should appointment numerous nonprofit executives into cabinet positions. All would be significantly more experienced in the subject areas than most of the political appointees.
Here are a few suggestions.
Secretary of Homeland Security
Jacob Wood
Co-Founder & Executive Board Chairman
Team Rubicon
Team Rubicon became one of the most impactful nonprofits under Wood’s leadership. It has more than 125,000 volunteers, has responded to disasters in 700-plus communities, and raised nearly $250 million. Team Rubicon is widely known for its innovation and unique culture.
Following four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Wood organized a team of veterans and doctors to head to Haiti following the devastating earthquake.
He graduated at the top of his class at Boot Camp, the School of Infantry, and Marine Scout-Sniper School. His unit, the 2nd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment, deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
He knows the streets, both those that are peaceful and those that are dangerous. He’s been there and done that.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Michael Linnington
Former Chief Executive Officer
Wounded Warrior Project
Linnington has more than 35 years of military experience and was the first permanent director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). A Jersey guy who graduated West Point and retired as a lieutenant general, he took over at Wounded Warrior Project and put it back together after a period of chaos. Programs were expanded, even during COVID, where services successfully pivoted to mostly online but those who needed face-to-face still received the help required.
He is an effective leader who understands the needs of veterans and has experience delivering.
Secretary of Health and Human Service
Nancy Brown
Chief Executive Officer
American Heart Association
Under Brown’s leadership as CEO since 2008, the AHA has become a global authority on cardiovascular and brain health as well as overall well-being. She has spearheaded innovation in heart and stroke prevention with AHA active in more than 100 countries. AHA has invested more than $5.9 billion to accelerate scientific discoveries and drive innovation using new technologies.
She is an experienced executive who runs a $1 billion business and entrepreneur who sees an issue and brings partners together to remediate the problem.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Jonathan T.M. Reckford
CEO
Habitat For Humanity
Reckford was preaching that a house is just the first step in building community long before anyone else. Leading the nation’s largest homebuilder, Reckford gathers partners to bring grocery stores to food deserts, medical care to those neighborhoods and he won’t need to be brought up to speed.
He’s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Global Future Council on the Future of Cities for the World Economic Forum. Just FYI, when a hurricane blew Homestead, Florida, pretty much the only thing left standing was the homes built by Habitat for Humanity.
Secretary of the Interior
Abigail Dillen
President
Earthjustice
Dillen is the Earth’s attorney. She leads the organization’s litigation docket and legal advocacy work on climate change and is a premier advocate of using forensic analysis. She teams with and coordinates with other environmental nonprofits to use every law on the books to battle climate change and polluters.
Dillen has litigated precedent-setting cases that have held polluters accountable and cleared the way for clean energy projects. These wins include requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate first-ever standards to govern disposal of coal ash and limit the wastewater discharge of toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants.
She has the roadmap for the nation’s clean energy future.
Ambassador to the United Nations
Douglas Rutzen
President & CEO
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law
Rutzen has quietly put out political fires in back rooms around the world. It was not unusual for him to carry potassium iodide pills in the case of radiation attacks or leaks at his destination.
Rutzen has worked on the legal framework for civil society, digital rights, and public participation in 100 countries. He previously served on the advisory board of the United Nations Democracy Fund and co-chaired the civil society pillar of the Community of Democracies. Rutzen was legal advisor in the Czechoslovak Parliament where he helped draft the country’s nonprofit laws.
He has a reputation as an honest broker who can be trusted in places where that usually isn’t the case.
Secretary of the Treasury
Lisa D. Cook, Ph.D.
Member
Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Cook was a professor of economics and international relations prior to her appointment to the board. She was director of the American Economic Association Summer Training Program and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Cook was a senior economist on the Council of Economic Advisers. She also was a senior adviser on finance and development at the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of International Affairs. She was a member of the American Economic Association’s Executive Committee.
She has the academic, association and financial experience to lead the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Secretary of Education
Janet Murguía
President and CEO
UnidosUS
Murguía was executive vice chancellor for university relations at the University of Kansas, where she oversaw KU’s internal and external relations with the public. She is credited with coordinating the university’s strategic planning and marketing efforts at the four KU campuses. Murguía often testifies before Congress about issues affecting the Latino community including education, health care, civil rights and the economy.
Murguía has also worked to amplify voices throughout her career, especially while heading the nation’s largest Latino advocacy nonprofit. She has also served on the advisory board of the National Hispanic University.
There are thousands more nonprofit executives qualified to a greater extent than previous cabinet secretaries. All it would take is a few calls. You’ll find many more candidates and ideas on the pages that follow.