Awale (Wally) Osman

About Wally:

Born in Kenya, he now resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is drawn to good conversation and writing, live performances and art shows, making and sharing good food—and learning as much as possible. He also finds community and renewal through the Art of Living, hiking, kayaking, and CrossFit.

Resume Snippets: 

Wally leads MCF’s strategies for advancing internal equity, belonging, diversity, and inclusion (EBDI). He also provides leadership for efforts to support the philanthropic community in putting these values into practice through the Equity, Belonging, Diversity and Inclusion Institute (EBDI Institute). The EBDI Institute offerings include the Experiential Leadership Lab, Center for Organizational Learning and Practice, Rural Urban Bridging for Impact, People of Color and LGBTQ+ Community of Practice, learning and evaluation.

He specializes in facilitation, coaching, and creating space for growth and navigating complexity. Wally draws from over a decade in talent development and philanthropy roles, including managing over $50 million in grant portfolios for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Bush Foundation, and Best Buy Foundation.

He is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Global Fellow, Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow, Humphrey School of Public Affairs Policy Fellow, and credentialed executive coach from Teachers College, Columbia University, where he also earned his Master’s and is currently pursuing his doctorate in Adult Learning and Organizational Leadership.

Wally is bilingual in English and Somali.
 

Contact Wally for:

• Inquiries about MCF’s Equity, Belonging, Diversity, and Inclusion Institute offerings—including the Experiential Leadership Lab, Center for Organizational Learning and Practice, Rural Urban Bridging for Impact, People of Color and LGBTQ+ Community of Practice, learning and evaluation 

• Ideas for connecting, strengthening, and mobilizing MCF’s philanthropic community around EBDI