Niketa Brar studies the failures of democracy – and works to redesign the systems that produce them.
Across roles in classrooms, courtrooms, city and state governments, Niketa has seen both the power of policy – and many reasons for civic distrust. She launched Chicago United for Equity in response – a systems change organization that has built a network of civic leaders to develop and test new ways to practice democracy. As CUE's founding executive director, Niketa designed the Vote Equity Project, People's Budget Chicago, and community assemblies to evaluate and issue policy recommendations – all methods designed to repair civic distrust by building the future directly with those most harmed by our past.
After testing these models in Chicago, Niketa began studying approaches to civic repair across the country. Working across PolicyLink's place-based portfolio, Niketa led the policy team supporting technical assistance, translating historic federal climate investments to address racial wealth gaps in 25 cities. She built an economic policy framework designed for community self-determination, training and managing a team of technical assistance providers to support civic repair.
Today, Niketa works as a policy strategist and Founding Partner at For the Many Strategies, while also serving as a Policy Fellow with the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. Niketa works with leaders exploring how to strengthen public voice in our democracy and economy, including in:
Party Platforms & Governing Agendas
How can we engage constituents to develop policy platforms and governing agendas?
Money in Politics
What interventions can cities and states use to address big money in politics?
Public Workforce for Democracy
How can policymakers build a new public workforce to diversify jobs and strengthen local democracy in the Age of AI?
Niketa also supports democratic redesign through advising, public speaking, and strategy consulting. She serves as an adviser on collaborative governance for the City of Chicago and Race Forward, curates the Reparative Democracy Design Lab for the Othering & Belonging Institute, and writes at From Chicago, With Love.
In her volunteer capacity, Niketa chairs the City of Chicago’s Equity Advisory Council and serves on the board for Common Defense, the nation's largest veteran-led grassroots movement combating authoritarianism. She has been recognized with the Trailblazer Award from Reform for Illinois, the Civil Rights Visionary Award from the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, and an inaugural Leadership in Democracy Fellowship from the McCormick Foundation.