Leadership Now Project Unveils Business Plan for America: A Roadmap for America's Next Chapter

NEW YORK, May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Leadership Now Project, a membership organization of centrist business leaders, introduced the Business Plan for America, a bold new policy agenda focused on delivering growth and opportunity for all Americans. The report was launched today at Leadership Now's 2026 Annual Summit: A Roadmap for America's Next Chapter, a high-profile gathering of national business and political leaders.

Recent elections have sent a consistent message: Americans want progress on affordability and economic opportunity—and a government they can trust to deliver. The country's credibility, at home and abroad, depends on getting this right. The premise of the Business Plan for America is that business has a stake in a country that works for all Americans.

The plan was created in collaboration with hundreds of business leaders, Leadership Now state chapters, elected officials, policy experts, researchers, scholars, and business and trade associations across the country. The plan offers a strategic framework to strengthen U.S. competitiveness, broaden economic prosperity and build effective and trusted institutions.

"The Business Plan for America lays out a practical path to a more competitive economy, broad-based prosperity, and a government that earns the trust of the people it serves. The premise is simple: America has the capabilities to solve its biggest challenges—from innovation to operating expertise—but we are not aligning and deploying them effectively. This plan reflects consultations with business leaders across the country, alongside insights from academia, government and think tanks, and is focused on solutions that serve the country as a whole—not any one industry or interest," said Leadership Now CEO Daniella Ballou-Aares.

Policy areas addressed by the plan include AI, immigration, housing, energy, tax reform, global competitiveness, and rule of law. The plan released today is version 1.0, and Leadership Now plans to add chapters to address budget and debt sustainability, research and innovation, healthcare, education, and government effectiveness, among other topics.

The Leadership Now Project 2026 Annual Summit: A Roadmap for America's Next Chapter on May 11th in New York City featured the launch of the Business Plan for America and in-depth conversations around key policy areas addressed in the plan. Notable speakers included Senator Elissa Slotkin and Governors Josh Shapiro and Andy Beshear; Tom Florsheim, Jr., CEO of Weyco Group; Jonathan Frankle, Chief AI Scientist at Databricks; and 2024 Nobel Laureate in economics Simon Johnson.

The process of creating the plan also engaged the next generation of business leaders through the MBA Policy Challenge, which invited MBA student teams to propose bold ideas to improve how government supports economic growth and opportunity. 282 students from 34 universities submitted proposals. The first-place $50K award, announced at the Summit, went to a team from Duke University with a proposal to build 20 ultra-high voltage transmission lines to modernize grid infrastructure, lower energy costs, and create two million jobs.

"This plan is a call to action. At a moment of growing division and short-term thinking, business leaders have an essential role in helping build an agenda that works for all Americans — bringing a longer-term perspective to how we engage with government across sectors, states, and generations." said Leadership Now member and Business Plan contributor Jeff Raikes, cofounder of the Raikes Foundation, Costco board member, and former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Business Plan for America overview and policy papers are now available on businessplanforamerica.org. Additional policy papers will be published in early 2027.

About Leadership Now Project
Leadership Now Project is a membership organization of business leaders who believe that a strong democracy is key to a thriving economy and political stability. Leadership Now Project takes action—investing in leaders, influencing policy, responding to risks, and partnering to drive solutions. Leadership Now's membership is national, with members in 30+ states and chapters in eight, drawing on extensive business and alumni networks to drive local and national impact.

SOURCE Leadership Now Project