What do you do at the Independent Center?
What do you bring to the team?
Why are you an Independent?
What’s one thing you think people misunderstand about independent voters?
What’s your go-to book, podcast, or show right now?
If you could have a coffee chat with any historical or current figure, who would it be and why?
Lura Forcum is president of the Independent Center, where she brings together a lifelong passion for civic engagement, a sharp understanding of public policy, and deep expertise in reaching people with ideas.
Her work is rooted in one core question: What does good government look like—and how do we get people talking about and creating it?
Lura began her career in political science, drawn to the world of policy. But early on, she realized something was missing. Working in juvenile justice on the South Side of Chicago, she saw firsthand how well-meaning systems still failed the most vulnerable—especially young people. That experience sparked a deeper interest in the human side of policy: not just how laws are made, but how they’re felt.
Over the years, Lura held a series of policy and communications roles, giving her a front-row seat to the challenges of crafting good policy and communicating it clearly. She earned a PhD in consumer psychology and later became a marketing professor, driven by a fascination with how people make decisions and what it takes to shift hearts and minds.
Lura furthered her focus in good government and policy over 2 years at the State Policy Network as director of marketing communications.
That path led her to the Independent Center—a natural fit for someone who understands both what good policy looks like and how to inspire people to care. Today, she leads the organization’s mission to build a powerful, independent movement of voters who are tired of polarization and ready for something better.
