Omar Parbhoo Named CEO of Innovating for the Public Good: R&D for Democracy

Visionary Civic Leader to Helm New Center for Democratic Innovation

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovating for the Public Good: R&D for Democracy (IFPG) — an organization with a bold, generational plan to reimagine and revitalize American democracy — today announced the appointment of Omar Parbhoo as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer.

IFPG was created to fill a critical gap in the pro-democracy ecosystem: to develop a cross-disciplinary innovation hub focused on long-term, systemic change that replaces traditional short-term, siloed approaches to political innovation. Today, we face serious threats to the rule of law and a troubling erosion of democratic processes — just as critical decisions are being made that could impact millions of lives, both in the U.S. and around the world.

To learn more about Innovating for the Public Good: R&D for Democracy, visit https://innovatingforpublicgood.org/.

Parbhoo, a nationally recognized leader in civic innovation, will lead IFPG's efforts to identify, test and scale high-impact ideas that can drive long-term democratic renewal. The organization will operate across disciplines — from technology and media to civic culture and community engagement — to foster breakthrough innovation.

"Innovating for the Public Good is designed to spark a new era of civic innovation, not just in moments of crisis, but as part of a sustained effort to build something better and more resilient," said Omar Parbhoo, CEO of IFPG. "We will drive transformative change, bring in bold ideas from every corner and do the hard, hopeful work of building a stronger constitutional democracy that serves all Americans."

Parbhoo most recently served as Managing Director of Civic Engagement at ideas42, where he leveraged behavioral science to develop and expand a range of voter-centered innovations — including the VoterCast platform, used in over 30 states, and the Civic Action Time Capsule — each aimed at making democratic participation more consistent and accessible.

"Innovating for the Public Good is essential to meet and counter threats to our democratic institutions," said Page Gardner, Founder of IFPG. "Traditional tools and a focus on the short term or tactical improvements are no longer sufficient to build sustained power. With Omar at the helm, IFPG will build an organization focused on foundational change with new strategies, tools and technologies."

For media inquiries or additional information, please contact [email protected].

About Innovating for the Public Good: R&D for Democracy
Innovating for the Public Good: R&D for Democracy is a bold new effort to understand, engineer and apply new approaches and tools that are needed to not only address the underlying dynamics that weaken U.S. democracy, but also promote a different, forward-looking future that is based on rigorous research and strategies that borrow from the private sector. innovatingforpublicgood.org/ 

SOURCE Innovating for the Public Good