I believe that healthy, whole organizations are more impactful and effective in achieving their missions. At Urban, I have the opportunity to nurture an important ecosystem of Centers (internally) and organizations (externally) that are all essential in creating more equitable outcomes for communities of color across the country.
Danielle DeRuiter-Williams is associate director of racial equity for the Research to Action Lab, where she stewards Lab racial equity and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and contributes to several Lab projects. DeRuiter-Williams also contributes to the Office of Racial Equity Research to manage funder relationships and support implementation activities across several projects.
Before joining Urban, DeRuiter-Williams was founder and head of growth and expansion for a Bay Area–based consulting firm specializing in equity-centered organizational development services. Her work with nearly 100 clients spanned all sectors and focused on addressing organizational culture, processes, and policies in service of more equitable programmatic and policy outcomes. She brings an extensive background in advancing racial equity in a government context, having initiated and project managed the City of San Francisco Urban Planning Department’s Racial and Social Equity Initiative.
DeRuiter-Williams holds a BA in liberal studies from Grand Valley State University and completed her graduate studies in urban and regional planning and Afro-American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, before earning her MBA from Mills College with a concentration in organizational equity, diversity, and inclusion.
