Dr. Michael McAfee is Chief Executive Officer of PolicyLink. In 2018, after serving as the inaugural director of the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink, he became the President and CEO. His results-driven leadership, deep knowledge of organizational development, and commitment to the nation’s most underserved populations made him the clear choice to succeed founder Angela Glover Blackwell.

At PolicyLink, Michael secured Promise Neighborhoods as a permanent federal program, improved outcomes for more than 300,000 children, and helped channel billions of dollars into neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. He was also instrumental in launching the organization’s corporate racial equity portfolio, including the first comprehensive tool to help companies embed equity throughout their value chains. Michael carries forward the PolicyLink mission to realize equity: just and fair inclusion so all people can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

Before PolicyLink, Michael served in the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, managing a $450 million housing, community, and economic development portfolio that created 3,000 affordable homes, 5,000 jobs, and expanded services for 200,000 families. Before his public service, Michael was the director of community leadership for The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, where he helped raise $121 million from individual donors—earning national recognition from the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Dr. Michael McAfee serves on multiple boards and is a U.S. Army veteran. He was a Dean’s Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Harvard. He earned his Ed.D. in human and organizational learning from George Washington University, as well as a certificate from Harvard’s Executive Program in Public Management. A sought-after speaker and writer, his work has appeared in multiple publications and has earned many awards. In 2025, he was named an honoree of the NonProfit Times’ Power & Influence Top 50.