Washington, D.C. — Navin Nayak has been promoted to serve as the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s president and executive director, CAP Action announced today. Since joining CAP Action in 2017 as executive director, Nayak has overseen the day-to-day management of the organization and has helped create new programs and projects that help the organization fulfill its mission.
“In just a short period of time, Navin has set CAP Action on a remarkable trajectory. He has led critical new initiatives to illustrate the harms done to American families by President Donald Trump and his party and to ensure that this reckless president is held accountable,” said Neera Tanden, CEO of CAP Action. “CAP Action has benefited greatly from Navin’s political and advocacy expertise, and in his new role as president, our war room will only grow stronger as we head into 2020.”
“Given what is at stake right now, I can’t think of a more important time to be leading an organization like CAP Action,” Nayak said. “The failures of the Trump presidency have left the American people desperate for a government that is on their side. CAP Action is poised to play a central role in helping restore that trust and in advancing progressive solutions.”
In his time at CAP Action, Nayak has spearheaded several key CAP Action projects, including pivoting the organization to be more engaged in the 2018 midterm elections with a specific focus on 26 key congressional districts; building out large new programs, including the Trump’s Broken Promises project, and one of the largest investments in storytelling in the progressive community to complement CAP Action’s cutting-edge analytical work; and helping position CAP Action as a key communications and messaging hub in the progressive space, where it is well-positioned to play a central role in 2020 across a critical set of issues such as the economy, health care, climate change, and immigration.
Nayak has more than 15 years of experience in advocacy and elections with several organizations. Before joining CAP Action, Nayak served as the director of opinion research for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, where he oversaw all the campaign’s message research. Prior to that, he worked for eight years at the League of Conservation Voters, where, among several roles, he served as senior vice president for campaigns, overseeing the organization’s electoral work. He also served as the deputy director for the Clean Energy Works campaign, a national multimillion-dollar effort to pass comprehensive climate legislation in 2009–2010. In addition to his advocacy experience, Nayak worked as a donor adviser at Corridor Partners, where he provided strategic guidance to donors on their advocacy and electoral investments.
Nayak has appeared on numerous television programs and in many publications, including MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and CNN’s former program “Crossfire.” In 2013, he was named one of Politico’s “50 Politicos to Watch.” He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.
Tanden will also retain her role as CEO of CAP Action.
For more information, contact Jesse Lee at [email protected] or 202-741-6350.