Patricia Duff is a political activist, fundraiser, and founder and CEO of The Common Good (TCG), a nonpartisan, nonprofit, pro-democracy organization dedicated to strengthening civic participation and engagement. TCG convenes leading thinkers, policymakers, and public figures from across the political spectrum; conducts national surveys on division and polarization; advances initiatives to counter extremism; and publishes America’s Report Card, comparing the U.S. with other nations on democracy, happiness, and economic performance. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, TCG has launched the American Renewal Project to advance practical policy solutions, renew our institutions, and restore a shared belief in what America—and Americans—can achieve.
Duff began her career with the House Select Committee on Assassinations, serving as Senior Researcher, Special Assistant to the Chief Counsel, and Public Information Officer. She went on to work on numerous presidential and Senate campaigns, served as vice president at two leading Washington media and political strategy firms, and was Associate Producer of the 1988 Democratic National Convention. A committed civic leader, Duff founded Colors United, supporting at-risk students in South Central Los Angeles, and has been a leading advocate for reform of New York’s court system—efforts that helped spur a judicial commission and meaningful reforms. Her work has been widely recognized, with coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, which named her a “Rising Star.” She has also been recognized by Harper’s Bazaar as a “West Coast Wonder Woman” and by Esquire as one of its “Women We Love.”
Duff previously served as a presidential appointee to the Library of Congress Board of Trustees and a Mayoral appointee to the Commission on Women in Los Angeles. Her numerous leadership and board roles have also included NPR, Save the Children, Federal Hall, Lincoln Center Film Society, Hamptons International Film Festival, Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and Brady United. Born in Los Angeles, Duff spent her preteen and teen years in Europe where her father worked for an American multinational corporation, then returned to the U.S. to attend college at Barnard and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service where she earned her BSFS.