Betsy Leondar-Wright

Alum 2003

Betsy Leondar-Wright, PhD, is an economic justice activist, author, and associate professor of sociology at Lasell University.

From 1986 to 1988 she was Program Coordinator at Women for Economic Justice, where she organized a coalition for pay equity for women. From 1988 to 1993 she was Executive Director at the Anti-Displacement Project, an affordable housing organization; three of the tenant groups she organized bought and now manage their apartment complexes as permanently affordable housing. From 1994 to 1997 she served as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Human Services Coalition.

For nine years she was the Communications Director at United for a Fair Economy, and she co-authored UFE’s book The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide. She was also the Project Director and Senior Trainer at Class Action, a non-profit that raises consciousness about class and money. Since 2012, Betsy has taught courses in inequality, social movements, and other sociology topics at Boston College, Harvard University, UMass Amherst, and Tufts University.