Wilnelia Rivera

(she/her)

Wilnelia Rivera, Founder & CEO of Rivera Consulting Inc., is an urban planner and equity strategist with a 21-year track record of success and results focused on the nexus and connectivity between people, public and private organizations, and places. Through her work and lived experience, Wilnelia has come to understand that the most important economic and social issues are intersectional and interconnected but require different mindsets, collaboration, and adaptability to address them. Her north stars are prototyping values-driven ideas and solutions while fostering buy-in and trust for leaders, teams, and communities to advance their mission and outcomes.

Before founding Rivera Consulting in 2015, Wilnelia was a history-making community organizer, advocate, and political strategist across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and resident of Boston, Wilnelia's leadership has been recognized by Boston Magazine in 2022 and 2021, as one of Boston’s Top 100 Influential Bostonians, and the Tufts University Alumni Magazine. She holds both a B.A. in International Relations, B.A. in Women's Studies and an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning from Tufts University. In 2021, she received the Lyon & Bendheim Citizenship Award from Tisch College of Civic Life.

Wilnelia also serves as a Board of Advisor at Tisch College of Civic Life, a member of the Eastern Bank Board of Ambassadors, and Secretary on Board of Directors of the Rare Ensemble Foundation.