Appointed to the Commission by Governor Newsom in March 2021, Darnell Grisby is a nationally recognized social impact leader who champions upward mobility by advancing policies that promote justice through economic opportunity and environmental stewardship.

He currently serves as Senior Fellow at the Beneficial State Foundation, where he leads programs that support economic mobility through transportation and financial justice. He spent the previous nine years as Director of Policy Development and Research at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), where he helped protect public transportation from budget cuts, assisted cities around the nation pursuing local transit ballot initiatives, and showcased the economic power of transportation investments. Mr. Grisby served as a legislative director and senior advisor in the California State Legislature and a government affairs professional before working at Reconnecting America, a think tank devoted to smart growth.

Mr. Grisby has been quoted or featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and Bloomberg, among many other outlets. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science at UCLA and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.