Leadership & Executive Officers

Alaina C. Beverly

Executive Director

Alaina C. Beverly is a nationally recognized leader in urban policy, civil rights, and community-centered economic development.  An accomplished executive, her career spans three decades focused on increasing Black political and economic power.

Alaina is the inaugural Executive Director of the Greenwood Trust, a private, charitable trust dedicated to advancing economic mobility, growth, and development in the historic Greenwood District and North Tulsa. A cornerstone of Mayor Monroe Nichols’ Road to Repair Initiative, the Greenwood Trust will address the disparities caused by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and generations of policy violence, fostering economic opportunity to ensure that the survivors, descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and residents of the Greenwood District and North Tulsa thrive. 

Prior to leading the Greenwood Trust, Alaina served as Executive Vice President of the Black Economic Alliance Foundation where she led place-based initiatives to advance Black work, wages, and wealth.

She served as the Assistant Vice President for Urban Affairs in the Office of Federal Relations at the University of Chicago, where she was responsible for driving action on the University’s research, scholarship, and models of urban investment through public private partnerships. She is the founding director of Urban America Forward, a signature University program that convenes practitioners from across the country committed to advancing economic inclusion in America’s cities.

Alaina served the Obama Administration as Associate Director for the White House Office of Urban Affairs. In that role, she laid the foundation for President Barack Obama’s urban office by identifying models to make cities more sustainable, competitive, and inclusive. She was also a Principal at The Raben Group, a prestigious public policy and advocacy firm in Washington DC.

Alaina began her career as a voting rights attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and Advancement Project. She served on the 2008 Obama for America Campaign as the National Deputy Director for African-American Outreach. In that role she developed the national campaign strategy for engaging African-American voters and grass-top leaders.

A frequent commentator, Alaina has appeared regularly on MSNBC, CNN, C-SPAN and BBC World News to speak on issues of race, gender, and U.S. economic trends.

Alaina is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Michigan Law School.  She lives in Washington DC and serves on the boards of Momentus Capital and the Children’s Equity Fund.

Board of trustees

National Advisory Board