Edgar Villanueva (Lumbee)
In 2018, Edgar released Decolonizing Wealth (now in its second edition), which offers hopeful and compelling alternatives to the dynamics of colonization in the philanthropic and social finance sectors, and established Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP). In 2019, he founded Liberated Capital, a fund that invites individuals and organizations to give through a reparations model that trusts and supports the leadership of those most impacted by historical and systemic racism.
Edgar advises organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to global and national philanthropies and nonprofits on advancing racial equity inside of their institutions and through their community investment strategies.
He holds a bachelors and masters degree in Public Health from the Gillings Global School of Public Health at The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and is an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
[body/long] Eva Brander Blackhawk (Western Shoshone, Newe Numa) serves as the Program Associate for the Decolonizing Wealth Project and Liberated Capital. In her role, she is responsible for managing grantmaking programs, with a specific focus on
strengthening systems building and data management, as well as nurturing relationships with both funders and grantees.Prior to DWP, Eva honed her skills and understanding of nonprofit strategies during her two-year tenure as a nonprofit strategy and management consulting fellow with Public Equity Group. Her work involved advising clients on strategic planning, efficacy before scale, and narrative change, demonstrating her ability to comprehend and address the goals and challenges of nonprofit partners.Eva studied Economics and Anthropology at Columbia University, where she explored the intersection of economic systems with social justice and Indigenous rights. Her academic experience includes multiple funded research projects on Indigenous language revitalization and futurism, as well as experience as a research assistant in the economics department working on the Racial and Ethnic Minority Career Trajectories in Economics project. She was also the president of the Native American Council and the Fashion Society at Columbia.