Adela Ruiz

Adela is a professor, grantmaker, strategist, and lifelong New Yorker with proud Dominican/Afro-Caribbean roots. Her experiences as a member of historically excluded communities drive her commitment to actualizing equity and expanding opportunities for disabled, Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC), women, and immigrant families. Adela is a values-driven leader who has worked in philanthropy, nonprofits, and higher education for over a decade, leading sector-wide initiatives that uplift disability justice, racial equity, and inclusive approaches to grantmaking and programming. Adela is a Hispanics in Philanthropy Líderes Fellow, a Rockwood Institute Equity in Philanthropy Fellow, and a proud collaborator of the Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis Philanthropy and the Presidents' Council for Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. Adela currently serves as the Program and Grants Lead at the NBA Foundation; whose mission is to drive economic opportunity for Black youth. Adela earned her BA and MA in Sociology from St. John’s University and is pursuing her Ph.D. in Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center.