Third Way Welcomes Four Experts to Senior Ranks
WASHINGTON — Third Way announced today that it has named Tonya Williams, Caitlin Legacki, Sumona Guha, and Ruth Whittaker to senior roles with the organization. These talented leaders will expand Third Way’s impact on the national political conversation as Democrats chart a path out of the wilderness and develop a robust policy agenda that can unite a broad majority to retake power. We’re delighted to welcome this cadre of women at the top of their game to the Third Way team.
Tonya Williams is joining Third Way as a Senior Fellow. Bringing more than two decades of experience helping elected officials and global organizations navigate complex political, reputational, and regulatory challenges, Williams will expand Third Way’s relationships with policy experts across the senior ranks of government and industry, contributing to the generation of new ideas that can position Democrats to win the battle for the future. She most recently served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she oversaw more than $100 billion in public-private investments and 13 bureaus focused on economic development, trade, and national security. Williams’ prior experiences span government, business, philanthropy, and politics, including a four-year tenure in the Obama White House as then-Vice President Joe Biden’s Director of Legislative Affairs.
Caitlin Legacki joins Third Way as a Senior Fellow to scale Third Way’s outreach to traditional press and Democratic communicators, and contribute to the Moderate Power Project’s Mod Comms team, leveraging her insights on the evolving media landscape and expertise in communications and messaging strategy. Legacki served recently as a Senior Advisor for strategic communications to former Secretary Gina Raimondo in the U.S. Department of Commerce. She has extensive political and strategic communications experience from a variety of state and national campaigns, Precision Strategies, House Majority PAC, and JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Sumona Guha is the Senior Director for Third Way’s new Foreign Policy Project to establish a centrist vision for the United States’ role in a rapidly shifting world, defining clear and compelling policy ideas to support America’s economic and security interests. Guha is an experienced diplomat and national security professional. She recently served in the Senior Executive Service in the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, and previously served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for South Asia. Guha is a former U.S. foreign service officer, a former fellow in the U.S. Senate, and has worked on the State Department's Policy Planning staff. She is an alum of the Albright Stonebridge Group and the U.S.-India Business Council.
Ruth Whittaker is joining Third Way’s Economic program as the Director of Technology Policy. A creative thinker and inventive talent, Whittaker is leading the effort to develop a pro-innovation agenda that balances the transformative potential of new technologies with appropriate protections against misuse. After serving four years as an Antitrust Paralegal Specialist in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, she spent more than three years at the Chamber of Progress, where she advocated for state and federal policies that promoted investment in technological innovation and balanced regulation.
“We’re fighting to expand the power of the Democratic center and Tonya, Caitlin, Sumona, and Ruth will be invaluable in enhancing our capacity to answer the big questions facing Democrats, on how we both win back voters in the middle and develop an ambitious, forward-looking policy agenda that can unite a durable majority,” Third Way President Jon Cowan said. “The most effective bulwark against the attacks of the Trump Administration is to win big, so our focus is to help get Democrats in fighting shape to win in 2028. We’re thrilled to add these powerhouse women to the team working to take back the White House.”