Dr. Una Osili is a global expert on economic and financial development, philanthropy and social innovation. She has more than two decades of experience in leadership, economic policy and research across public and private sectors and is a sought-after speaker, author and advisor on international development.
Dr. Osili has provided expert testimony at the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee on international development and the role of the public sector. She has led collaborative research projects with global corporations and has provided advisory, policy and consulting support for national and global institutions including the World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), U.S. Chamber of Commerce, African Development Bank, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Networks Financial Institute, the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum, and various governments entities. Dr. Osili is a consultant with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and has worked on cross-sector initiatives on financial inclusion.
Dr. Osili is the Associate Dean of Research and International Programs, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the world’s first school on philanthropy. Dr. Osili leads the research and publication of Global Resource Flows Index and the Global Philanthropy Environment Index. The Global Philanthropy Indices are the leading source of global development and social innovation data trends and involve collaboration with more than 100 country and regional experts in 79 countries. Dr. Osili has pioneered new approaches to using data to improving the understanding of trends in economic development and philanthropy. She leads the research and publication of Giving USA, the annual report on American philanthropy. Dr. Osili is the Founder of Generosity for Life – a digital platform that provides new data tools for financial decision making in the area of philanthropy and social impact. She leads the School’s signature research project, the Philanthropy Panel Study (PPS). PPS is the most comprehensive study of the generosity of American families over time.
Una received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and her Master’s and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. The NonProfit Times named Dr. Una Osili to its 2019 “Power and Influence Top 50,” recognizing her leadership in the philanthropic sector. Indianapolis Business Journal named Una ‘Woman of Influence’ and Dr. Osili, was appointed as a fellow for the Institute of Labor (IZA) in Bonn, Germany. She joined CARE’s Board in 2020.