America has rarely encountered such challenging circumstances as the country faces today, amid a once-in-a- century public health emergency that has caused economic devastation for millions of people while touching every aspect of society. Meanwhile, tragic events have precipitated urgent cries for long-overdue responses to the systemic racism that has prevented the country from living up to its ideals.

In this moment of crisis, so many state and local leaders have stepped up to offer bold and creative ways to protect their communities from the immediate fall-out of the pandemic, while understanding that the goal of the recovery must not be to restore America to its pre-pandemic condition, but rather to emerge as a more just, prosperous, and secure nation than when the pandemic began. They are on the frontlines of making this goal a reality.

The NewDEAL Forum launched the Renewing America Task Force in the summer of 2020, recognizing the extraordinary opportunities to build back better by harnessing the outstanding leadership of policymakers across the country who are rising to today’s challenges. For the past six months, the Task Force, led by five co-chairs representing diverse communities at various levels of government, has provided a platform for developing and sharing the best ideas for the nation’s recovery. They have brought together policy experts and private sector leaders with officials who can lead the implementation of these ideas across the country.