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Biography
A global expert on philanthropy and social innovation, Dr. Una Osili has more than two decades of experience in leadership, economic policy and research across the public and private sectors. She holds the Efroymson Chair in Philanthropy and she serves as the associate dean for research and international programs and Dean’s Fellow for the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the world’s first school on philanthropy.
At the school she leads the research and publication of the Global Philanthropy Environment Index and the Global Philanthropy Tracker, as well as the research and publication of Giving USA, the annual report on American philanthropy published by Giving USA Foundation. Dr. Osili is the founder of Generosity for Life, a digital platform that provides new data tools in the area of philanthropy and social impact.
An internationally recognized expert on philanthropy, economics and international development, Osili recently testified before the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress on supporting charitable giving during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
She speaks across the globe on issues related to national and international trends in economics and philanthropy. She is frequently quoted by international and national news media outlets such as NPR, The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and many others. The NonProfit Times named her to its list of the 50 most influential people in the nonprofit sector in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Osili has served as a member of several national and international advisory groups, including the African Development Bank, Social Science Research Council, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Development Program. She has been an associate editor for the Journal of African Economies and guest editor of the Journal of African Development.
Osili received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and her master’s and Ph.D. from Northwestern University.