Margaret Libby is the CEO and Founder of MyPath, a national nonprofit that promotes upward economic mobility for low-income BIPOC youth. Since its founding in January 2007, Margaret has led a national effort to demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating banking, saving and credit-building access and education into youth employment settings. In partnership with youth, Margaret launched MyPath Savings, the nation’s first model to integrate banking, saving and peer support directly into youth employment settings, and MyPath Credit, the nation’s first youth-focused credit-building model. The models and best practices emerging from MyPath’s groundbreaking work have been adopted in cities across the country inside nonprofits, financial institutions, public agencies, and municipalities.
In 2020, Margaret launched the MyPath Wealth Equity Lab, a growing ecosystem of volunteers, partners, and thought leaders who are innovating new approaches to building fintech by and for BIPOC young adults, as well as piloting and advancing new economic strategies like guaranteed income and financial mentoring. The Wealth Equity Lab is giving young leaders the opportunity to combine their stories with data insights to advocate for local and federal policy change that will advance financial and economic inclusion for BIPOC youth. Through the recently released Youth Economic Bill of Rights, designed in partnership with BIPOC young adults, Margaret is working to advance state and federal policy solutions to build the economic and financial footholds that BIPOC youth need to challenge systemic barriers, achieve their potential, and unleash their talents and voices in our economy and democracy.
Prior to founding MyPath, Margaret led a statewide youth-led research and evaluation project while at Youth Leadership Institute and engaged in research and advocacy related to inequities in the subprime mortgage market while at California Reinvestment Coalition. A 2020 James Irvine Leadership Awardee, Margaret currently serves on the Credit Builders Alliance Board of Directors, the NEFE Board of Trustees and is a founding member of nLIFT (Nonprofit Leaders in Financial Technology). Margaret has published extensively on youth leadership development, youth financial capability, community development, and predatory lending. She holds a BA from Brown University and an MSW from U.C. Berkeley.