December 4, 2025
Dallas, TX—Marc Stier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, was awarded the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ first Lifetime Achievement Award last night, marking his life’s work in dedication to furthering progressive policies for working Pennsylvanians. The ceremony took place on the evening of December 3rd at CBPP’s national convening in Texas.
About receiving the honor, Stier said, “It means a lot to me to receive this national recognition of the work I’ve done in advocacy for the people of Pennsylvania during my ten years at the Penn Policy Center and its predecessor. Successful political advocacy is always a collective achievement, and I’m deeply grateful for PPC’s talented and dedicated current and past staff members, as well as our organizational partners, who have contributed so much to the work for which I’ve been recognized.”
In accepting the award on his behalf, research director Dr. Laura Beltrán Figueroa remarked, “Under his leadership, Pennsylvania Policy Center became a trusted voice in tax justice, education, health care, and economic opportunity not only in Harrisburg but across the state.” And “It is impossible to miss Marc’s impact. From his deep knowledge of the inner workings of legislative action on Pennsylvania’s budget and taxes to his ability to build cross-cutting advocacy coalitions, his leadership has shaped how we talk about fairness, equity, and opportunity in this state.”
Marc Stier is a longtime activist, teacher, and writer. Before becoming the executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, he was the director of the PA Budget and Policy Center from 2015 to 2023, and the chair of the We The People PA Campaign from 2018 to 2023; executive director of Penn Action; the director of Pennsylvania Health Care for America Now (HCAN), which led the grassroots effort in support of the Affordable Care Act in the state; and health care campaign manager for the SEIU State Council. Stier was an academic for 25 years before becoming a full-time activist and organizer in 2007.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a doctorate from Harvard University, both in political science. He taught at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks; City College of New York; the University of North Carolina, Charlotte; and Temple University, where he was the associate director and internet coordinator of the Intellectual Heritage Program.