About the Author

From an early age, Edgar Villanueva knew he would devote himself to ministry, to medicine, to being of service. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Jackson College of Ministries, and a bachelor of science in public health and a master’s degree in health administration from the University of North Carolina’s Gillings Global School of Public Health. Ultimately, he found his way to philanthropy, the field named for the love of humankind, where for the past 14 years he has given away tens of millions of dollars each year, mostly to low-income communities across the United States.

This is someone who grew up in extreme poverty, with a valiant single mother determined to see her son get the education that would change his circumstances. Today, Edgar is an executive at a national foundation and serves as the chair of the Board of Native Americans in Philanthropy. He also advises high-net-worth individuals, philanthropists, and funding institutions in allocating resources more equitably. In other words, Edgar is intimately familiar with both sides of the wealth divide.

Edgar is proud to be an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina as well as a Southerner, lineages from which he inherited the love of storytelling and his strong devotion to community. His Native name, Niigaanii Beneshi (Ojibwe), means Leading Bird, signifying the bird at the front of the flock when it flies in V-formation, the bird that bears the full brunt of the wind and sets the pace for the rest. Much of the inspiration for the “medicine” prescribed in the pages of Decolonizing Wealth comes from Native elders and the Indigenous worldview.

Like most Lumbee Indians, faith has been a major influence on Edgar’s life. The church gave Edgar’s early years a stability and purpose that he firmly believes is the reason why he’s made it as far as he has. Over the years, his faith has evolved but not wavered. He holds fast to traditions he believes to be valuable.

His chosen family includes the advocates and activists who are engaged in the struggle for racial justice, civil rights, and human rights. They celebrate birthdays and weddings together; they comfort each other in the face of violence and bigotry. Their professional is their personal.

Poverty and wealth; Native, Southern, and Christian traditions; ministry, health care, activism, and philanthropy. Braiding these many threads together gives Edgar his unique perspective on decolonization, the process of recovering from trauma, and the potential for money to help humanity heal.

A frequent presenter at conferences on philanthropy and social finance, where he regularly inspires funders to engage in the Seven Steps to Healing, Edgar is also an instructor at the Grantmaking School at the Johnson Center at Grand Valley State University. He has held leadership roles on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the Andrus Family Fund, the Executives’ Alliance to Expand Opportunities for Boys and Men of Color and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Forward Promise National Advisory Committee. Edgar has been a Hull Fellow with the Southeastern Council of Foundations and a Fellow with the American College of Health Care Executives.

In 2010, he was selected for the inaugural class of the Terrance Keenan Institute for Emerging Leaders in Health Philanthropy fellowship program, designed to cultivate the next generation of philanthropic leadership. In June 2014, Edgar was awarded the Flying Eagle Woman Award from Native Americans in Philanthropy, recognizing his many years in community-led, culturally inspired leadership. It was an apt recognition of the Leading Bird.