America Needs Talent

The author of Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines presents “a sharp, timely blueprint for unleashing the potential of millions of Americans” (Bruce Kats, Founding Director oof the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program).The president and CEO of Lumina Foundation, Jamie Merisotis is a leading voice in philanthropy, higher education, and public policy. In America Needs Talent, he explains the choices that must be made on all levels—in government, education, and the private sector, as well as by individuals—to usher in a new era of success and innovation in America. What if you paid for education based on what you actually learned, instead of the time you spent in class? What if visa applicants were treated like potential assets to our nation’s talent pool, rather than potential threats monitored by Homeland Security? Merisotis proposes bold ideas to successfully deploy the world’s most talented people, revitalize urban hubs, encourage private sector innovation, and power America’s knowledge economy in the 21st century.