Lori Villarosa is the executive director and founder of the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE), www.racialequity.org, a multiyear project intended to increase the amount and effectiveness of resources aimed at combating institutional and structural racism.

Ms. Villarosa has been in philanthropy for more than 20 years. Prior to launching PRE in 2003, she was a program officer with the Flint-based C. S. Mott Foundation. She was instrumental in developing the Foundation's U.S. Race Relations grantmaking portfolio, focusing on addressing institutional racism and building appreciation of racial and ethnic diversity. Her portfolio covered a broad spectrum of community-based, academic, advocacy and research efforts at a time when a number of new approaches were emerging due to the changing demographics and post-Civil Rights Movement redefining of racial equity work.

Ms. Villarosa frequently serves as an advisor or presenter on a range of issues related to racial justice, intergroup relations, and philanthropy. She sits on the board of directors of several foundations and nonprofit organizations. She served on the Program Committee of the Association of Black Foundation Executives; has been a member of Hispanics in Philanthropy; and served on the national board of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and as their chair.