Amelia Warren Tyagi is an American businesswoman, left-of-center political activist, consultant, and author. Tyagi is the daughter of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and has been called her “full political partner.” ¹ Together they have written two books, Two-Income Trap and All Your Worth, which argue that American workers are facing declining living standards due to increasing inequality and influence from the financial sector.

Tyagi is the co-founder and president of Business Talent Group, an executive placement service. She is also a trustee emeritus and former board member of Demos, a left-of-center think tank. Tyagi has been accused of using her positions at Demos to use the organization to support Warren.

Background

Tyagi attained a BA from Brown University where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magnum cum laude. She later earned an MBA from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. ²

Amelia Warren met Sushil Tyagi at Wharton, and they eventually married. Sushil Tyagi is a businessman and roboticist who immigrated from India. He is active in the national Southeast Asian community and organized support for Senator Warren’s unsuccessful 2020 presidential run. ³ They have three children together.

Career

Tyagi started her career in 1996 at the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. Three years later, Tyagi co-founded and worked as the vice president of business development at HealthAllies Inc., a health insurance company which was acquired by United Health in 2001. For the next three years, Tyagi co-wrote two books with her mother, Elizabeth Warren, and worked as an independent consultant. In 2005, she co-founded Business Talent Group. She has worked as co-CEO for sixteen years. ⁴

From 2010 to 2019, Tyagi sat on the board of directors at the left-wing think tank Demos,⁵ and remains an emeritus trustee. Throughout Tyagi’s tenure, Demos was a consistent and strong supporter of her mother’s various political, governmental, and advocacy efforts. The organization presented Warren with awards, delivered endorsements, promoted her books, and its employees donated to Warren’s campaigns. Often, Demos did not disclose its connection to the Warren family. ⁶

Tyagi also sat on the board of directors of American Prospect, a magazine publishing partner of Demos. ⁷ American Prospect published articles in support of Warren,⁸ and an article written by Warren. ⁹

In 2017, Tyagi became a chairperson of FUSE Corps,¹⁰ a nonprofit local government consulting firm.

Tyagi used to be a frequent guest on the nationally syndicated radio show Marketplace. ¹¹

Voter Registration Controversy

In 2012, while Elizabeth Warren ran for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, Warren, Tyagi, and the state government were accused by incumbent Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) of conspiring to undermine the democratic process and elect Warren. During the election, the state government sent voter registration forms to half a million welfare recipients across the state, who were presumed to be more likely to vote for Warren than Brown. The registration forms were sent at an expense of $276,000 to the taxpayer as a result of a lawsuit filed by Demos, on whose board Tyagi sat. ¹²

Warren and Tyagi both denied collusion and argued that the voter registration forms coincided with the “motor voter” law, which required government service offices to distribute voter registration forms. ¹³ Warren won the election.

1. Shivani, Anis. “Five Questions for Elizabeth Warren.” Counter Punch. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/10/25/five-questions-for-elizabeth-warren/.
2. “Board of Trustees.” Demos. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.demos.org/about/board-trustees.
3. “Meet Elizabeth Warren’s Indian American Son-In-Law: Sushil Tyagi.” India West. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/meet-elizabeth-warren-s-indian-american-son-in-law-sushil/article_563b7a3e-5803-11ea-b420-43159b416a84.html.
4. “Amelia Warren Tyagi.” Linkedin. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliatyagi.
5. “Amelia Warren Tyagi.” Linkedin. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliatyagi.
6. Howley, Patrick. “The Warren Tribe.” Free Beacon. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://freebeacon.com/national-security/the-warren-tribe/.
7. “Brown and Warren take off the gloves.” Salon. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.salon.com/2012/10/02/brown_and_warren_take_off_the_gloves/.
8. Potts, Monica. “The Political Education of Elizabeth Warren.” American Prospect. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://prospect.org/power/political-education-elizabeth-warren/.
9. Warren, Elizabeth. “The Vital Middle.” American Prospect. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://prospect.org/special-report/vital-middle/.
10. “Amelia Warren Tyagi.” Linkedin. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliatyagi.
11. “Amelia Warren Tyagi.” Business Talent Group. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://businesstalentgroup.com/leadership/amelia-warren-tyagi/.
12. LeBlanc, Steve. “Sen. Scott Brown says welfare voter enrollment effort aids opponent Elizabeth Warren.” Mass Live. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.masslive.com/politics/2012/08/sen_scott_brown_says_welfare_v.html.
13. LeBlanc, Steve. “Sen. Scott Brown says welfare voter enrollment effort aids opponent Elizabeth Warren.” Mass Live. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.masslive.com/politics/2012/08/sen_scott_brown_says_welfare_v.html.