Paul Eckert, the author of Healing Middle-Class Democracy: Respecting Each Other, Cooperating Fairly, and Sharing Opportunity (2026), has built a multifaceted career bridging nonprofit leadership and public policy. His professional experience began in Detroit, where he worked in nonprofit administration before transitioning to Washington, DC. Here he specialized in business innovation policy, gaining expertise across industry, politics and technology. Eckert has also written for the stage and screen, often exploring how economic inequality and political constraints fuel social extremism. His diverse background informs his focus on reconciling divisions between the upper and lower middle classes. Eckert holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a PhD from Michigan State University.