Loren McArthur was born in Newton, Massachusetts, and graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 1997 with a B.A. in philosophy. For the last 10 years, he has committed himself to social justice work, serving as a volunteer in poor, rural communities in Central America, and working as a community organizer empowering immigrants and the working poor in the United States. Most recently, he was the lead organizer and staff director of the Merrimack Valley Project (MVP), a non-profit community organizing group uniting 31 congregations, unions, and community-based organizations in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts. At MVP, McArthur organized a powerful, multiracial constituency that won $1.7 million for housing, jobs, and legal aid programs for the region; secured passage of statewide legislation protecting over 70,000 low-wage temporary workers in Massachusetts; and advanced successful campaigns to promote affordable housing and racial justice. McArthur is interested in civic organizations that develop the public leadership of ordinary citizens, and the role they can play in strengthening democracies in the United States and around the world.