wilneida

Dr. Wilneida Negrón

I believe there are more of us who want dignity, freedom, and belonging — for our families, and our communities.

For nearly two decades, I have worked to make powerful institutions more accountable to the people whose lives they shape.

My career began working with young people, families in crisis, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants, and communities navigating systems that too often felt distant or unresponsive. Those experiences taught me that policy is never abstract. It affects whether people can earn a fair wage, protect their privacy, feel safe, and build a stable future.

Since then, I have worked across technology, labor, financial markets, public safety, and democratic governance. I have advised government leaders, regulators, unions, technology founders, investors, and major companies on issues including artificial intelligence, consumer protection, public safety, workplace surveillance, wage theft, data privacy, and labor protections.

I founded the Startups & Society Initiative and the Future of Workers Initiative to bring workers, business leaders, technologists, and public officials together to build practical rules and shared accountability. I also helped create one of the first databases tracking the technologies employers use to monitor, schedule, evaluate, and pay workers.

At my core, I am a builder and bridge-builder. My work is focused on creating institutions, economies, and technologies that expand dignity, opportunity, belonging, and power for more people.

My first book, The Human Interface: How Workers Can Step Into the Tech Conversation—and Lead Itis out now. 

My work has been featured at

The Guardian NPR Financial Times Washington Post Stanford Social Innovation Review Newsweek Protocol Fast Company Daily Maverick WiredBBC 4Inc.comThe Register

Personal story/Bio

I was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, to a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father. Since the day I was able to speak, I have lovingly frustrated my parents and siblings with endless back-to-back questions on everything from “what is the moon made of?”; “what happens to the cows when it rains? (we lived in the small rural farming community of Palenque); “what happens if I put red chanoti seeds in my ears? (I grew up surrounded by wild A. precatorius plants and made a few trips to the emergency room with seeds in my ears). As I got older, the questions became more complicated and ranged from everything from religion to economics and politics in the US, Puerto Rico, and around the world. To this day, it's my love and curiosity for the world and the people in it that drives my purpose and work.

I am currently the Director of Worker Innovation and Impact at Coworker, Co-founder of the Startups & Society Initiative (SSI) as well as the Founder of the Future of Workers Initiative, and the New Progressives. As part of SSI, I co-founded the Responsible Innovation Founders Summit — an annual event that has attracted 700+ global tech leaders including founders backed by Y-Combinator, General Catalyst, and Sequoia, and published the Responsible Innovation Primer for Founders — a distillation of 100+ interviews of influential tech and civil society leaders about building tech companies responsibly. I am currently boot-strapping my new ventures, Grey Americana, a multi-media company and social community.

After navigating the challenges of palliative and hospice care for my mother, I became an advocate for strengthening holistic, equitable end-of-life care; supporting families and ensuring that every life is honored with dignity.

My current Advisory roles Are:

I have a PhD In Comparative Politics, with a specialization in emerging technologies in East Asia And Latin America, a Masters In Public Administration, and a M.Phil. in International And Global Affairs. Im also a life-long Fellow at the Data & Society Research Institute, Atlantic Institute, and ThirdHouse.

Recent News & Press: