About Us
Social Justice Requires Public Policy.
We envision a Texas where people of all backgrounds can fulfill their potential and contribute to our community.
Unfortunately, too many Texans can’t access the conditions they need to thrive — good health care, education, and jobs.
One of the most effective ways to make sure every Texan has access to these conditions is to strengthen public policy. And that’s where we focus our work: We strengthen public policy to expand opportunity and equity for every Texan.
New Name, Same Mission
Social justice requires public policy. This has been our driving belief for 35 years.
The Center for Public Policy Priorities is excited to announce our new name and brand. Our new name is Every Texan. We believe this name better reflects who we are and our social justice vision for Texas.
Our new name, Every Texan, focuses on our state’s greatest resource — our people.
Every Texan's Strategic Plan, 2022-2027
Every Texan is part of an ecosystem of advocacy organizations across Texas with a shared vision of a state where every Texan can thrive. We collaborate with our partners to build power and leadership alongside communities of color and people with low incomes. Regardless of race, gender, background, or what zip code is home, we believe all Texans have the power of voice and action to improve our daily lives and conditions.
Our Values
Community
We believe in the power of community and a responsibility to care for one another.
Vision
Our day-to-day work is grounded in a unified, long-term vision for Texas.
Equity
We pursue fair policies that lead to more equitable outcomes.
Learning
We foster a culture of learning, evaluation, and knowledge sharing.
Grit
We work steadily with passion, conviction, and perseverance. We are unshakable.
Truth
We tell the unvarnished truth based on well-researched facts and unbiased data.
Our History
The Benedictine Sisters of Boerne, Texas founded Every Texan over 35 years ago with deep roots in social justice. Now an independent policy research and advocacy organization, Every Texan is still tied to those social justice values, and we bring their spirit to our work every day. We are committed to an exciting, demographically changing state with expanded opportunities for every Texan.
Our Team
Our team consists of accomplished experts and rising stars with unique, deep expertise and knowledge of Texas public policy and advocacy. Every Texan’s important work is made possible by the leadership of our board of directors, who volunteer their time to make this the best state for every Texan. We are proud that our staff, board, and policy priorities reflect the diversity of our state.
Our Union
Every Texan and its staff union, Every Texan United, proudly announce the ratification of their first union contract! Every Texan and the bargaining unit began the 15-month negotiation process in June 2020 after voluntarily recognizing the staff union in February. In September 2021, union members elected their leadership, including: Amanda Posson (President), Cecilia Weber and Katie Martin Lightfoot (Stewards), and Dany Guerrero (Member Engagement Representative).
As a values-driven, equity-committed organization, Every Texan is committed to collaborative and inclusive leadership practices. In Texas, less than 5% of all workers are unionized, largely due to legislation that favors employers and limits union activity. These anti-union and anti-worker policies are precisely what the Every Texan team fights to repeal or fix.
How We Work
Every Texan offers knowledge, solutions, and tools to help you more easily and thoroughly understand, discuss, and make decisions about public policy.
Key Achievements
- Prevented budget cuts to Medicaid and CHIP, prevented large drops in health care coverage, and reduced the number of uninsured Texans
- Organized a coordinated statewide effort to ensure a full and accurate 2020 Census, establishing ourselves as the leading voice of coverage of Texas in the Census
- Guaranteed paid sick days for Austin workers and squashed the sales tax swap
- Promoted racial and ethnic equity and exposed barriers to economic opportunity
- Worked closely with leaders from both parties to boost financial support for Texas students as one of the handful of Texas organizations with a deep understand of public school funding formulas
We Love Texas
We’re Texans, and we take great pride in that.
Texas boasts a rich, unique mix of resources and an equally unique ecosystem. Our population is growing and diversifying all the time. We have one of the largest economies of any state in the country, and our industries are thriving.
We have everything we need to be the very best state to live in. Almost.
Many of the people that make Texas so incredible can’t fully contribute to the prosperity of our state. They experience unfairly limited access to the conditions that enable Texans to thrive.
That inequity is unfair to all of us. And until we resolve it, Texas cannot be #1 in our nation.
Our Commitment to Racial Equity
Texas will achieve Every Texan’s vision of racial equity when an individual or group’s race or ethnicity no longer predict their well-being, opportunities, and outcomes.
Here’s Where You Come In:
In Your Community
When working with Every Texan, you are empowered to gain the respect of policy changers, strategically influence their decisions, and ultimately strengthen public policy.
At the Texas Legislature
Our bold, research-driven legislative priorities dare Texas leaders to make Texas the best state for hard-working people and their families.