Myra Jones-Taylor leads the Urban Institute’s policy impact strategy as the organization’s first chief policy impact officer. She works with researchers and policy experts across Urban to help maximize the impact of their findings and evidence-based recommendations while also helping tell the story of how their work changes lives and strengthens communities. Before this role, Jones-Taylor was the chief policy officer at Zero to Three, where she led the development and implementation of the organization’s policy agenda, priorities, and strategies while also serving as the principal spokesperson on all policy matters. She previously served as Connecticut’s founding commissioner of early childhood, leading the cabinet-level state agency responsible for early care and education, home visiting, early intervention and child care licensing in the state, and serving all children from birth through age 5. During her time as commissioner, the state agency was awarded $50 million in new, competitive federal grants and expanded access to high-quality preschool to 25 percent more three- and four-year-olds. Jones-Taylor is a class of 2022 New America national fellow and has the honor of being both an Ascend fellow and a Pahara fellow of the Aspen Institute. She writes and speaks about racial identity, systemic racism, and social inequality in outlets such as The Atlantic and the podcast The Longest Shortest Time. Jones-Taylor received a joint doctorate in American studies and anthropology from Yale University.