Dr. Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich is an author, public scholar, policy analyst, community activist, and spokesperson on behalf of creative black leadership and urban politics. She is currently a professor at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Since 1996, Scruggs-Leftwich has served as executive director and chief operating officer of the nonprofit Black Leadership Forum, Inc., a confederation of the top national civil rights and service organizations. As COO, she facilitates dialogue among black leaders and designs opportunities for collaboration across racial lines.

Scruggs-Leftwich received a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, a master's degree from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of the University of Minnesota, and a bachelor's degree from North Carolina Central University. She also was a Fulbright Fellow to Germany.

Previously, Scruggs-Leftwich was deputy Mayor of Philadelphia; New York State's Housing Commissioner; HUD's Deputy Assistant Secretary; Executive Director of President Carter's Urban and Regional Policy Group, which issued the first formal National Urban Policy over two decades ago; and director of the Urban and National Policy Institutes for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington. Her areas of expertise include urban policy, public administration and governmental behavior, black women as activists and change agents, city and regional planning, developing neighborhoods and small communities, strategic planning, and leadership development.

In recent years, Scruggs-Leftwich has received recognition and continued her career as a writer. In 2007, she received the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild’s Front Page Award, the Bernie Harrison Memorial Award for Commentary. In 2008, Scruggs-Leftwich released a new book, Sound Bites of Protest, in 2008. Also in 2008, Scruggs-Leftwich stepped down as COO of the Black Leadership Forum after ten years of service in that position.