# Byron Auguste

> Byron Auguste is an economist, former White House economic-policy official and former McKinsey senior partner who co-founded Opportunity@Work to expand career mobility for the more than 70 million U.S. workers the organization calls STARs - people Skilled Through Alternative Routes rather than a bachelor's degree. His work combines labor-market research, employer practice, public policy and narrative change, including the national Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-founder at Opportunity@Work
- **Organizations:** Opportunity@Work, New America, The White House National Economic Council, McKinsey & Company, Autodesk, African Development Bank, University of Oxford, LMC International, Hope Street Group, Council on Foreign Relations
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Economics and Political Science, Yale University, M.Phil. in Economics, University of Oxford, D.Phil. in Economics, University of Oxford
- **Known for:** Co-founded Opportunity@Work and helped establish STARs - Skilled Through Alternative Routes - as a national labor-market category., Led the national Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign with the Ad Council; by the 2025 Heinz Awards profile, more than 90 partners and 30 states had acted on skills-first hiring., Served as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council and Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy from 2013 to 2015.

## Career timeline

- **1989** — Began study at Oxford as a Marshall Scholar after graduating from Yale.
- **1990-1993** — Worked as an economist with LMC International, Oxford University and the African Development Bank before joining McKinsey.
- **1993** — Joined McKinsey & Company.
- **1999** — Was elected a principal at McKinsey.
- **2005** — Was elected a director, or senior partner, at McKinsey - the firm's first Black senior partner.
- **2007-2012** — Led McKinsey's global Social Sector.
- **2013-2015** — Served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council in the Obama White House.
- **2015** — Co-founded Opportunity@Work and helped launch TechHire; the initiative began within New America.
- **2016** — Opportunity@Work became an independent nonprofit.
- **2020-2021** — Served as a research fellow at Autodesk focused on emerging digital technologies, skills and prosperity pathways.
- **2022** — Opportunity@Work and the Ad Council launched the Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign.
- **2023** — Named to Forbes' Future of Work 50.
- **2025** — Received the 30th Heinz Award for the Economy.
- **2026** — Opportunity@Work published its State of the Paper Ceiling report focused on AI, labor-market design and STAR mobility.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Opportunity@Work and helped establish STARs - Skilled Through Alternative Routes - as a national labor-market category.
- Led the national Tear the Paper Ceiling campaign with the Ad Council; by the 2025 Heinz Awards profile, more than 90 partners and 30 states had acted on skills-first hiring.
- Served as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council and Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy from 2013 to 2015.
- Became McKinsey & Company's first Black director, or senior partner, in 2005.
- Named to the Forbes Future of Work 50 in 2023.
- Received the 2025 Heinz Award for the Economy.
- Co-authored multiple McKinsey Global Institute reports on U.S. jobs, growth and the future of work.
- Authored The Economics of International Payments Unions and Clearing Houses.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Announced that LaFawn Davis joined Opportunity@Work's board along with 12 new members of its STARs Advisory Council.
- **2026-06** — Opportunity@Work released the 2026 State of the Paper Ceiling report, arguing that AI-era hiring systems should be deliberately designed around skills and documenting renewed mobility for STARs.
- **2026-04** — Appeared at ASU+GSV Summit 2026 for a discussion on higher education, skills and AI.
- **2025-09** — Received the 30th Heinz Award for the Economy for work expanding recognition and mobility for STARs.
- **2025-04** — Opportunity@Work reported that STARs had regained more than 750,000 jobs since 2020 after losing access to roughly 7.5 million good jobs between 2000 and 2020.

## Links

- Website: https://www.opportunityatwork.org/about/team/byron-auguste
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byronauguste/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/byron_auguste

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/byron-auguste
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26