Valerie Rawlston Wilson

Director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE)

Valerie Rawlston Wilson is a labor economist and Director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE), a nationally recognized source for expert reports and policy analyses on the economic condition of America’s people of color. As PREE Director, Wilson has worked to elevate EPI’s thought leadership on issues of racial and economic justice and expand PREE’s capacity to prescribe policy solutions that center racial equity. Prior to joining EPI, Wilson served as Vice President of Research at the National Urban League Washington Bureau in Washington, D.C. In 2022, she was President of the National Economics Association, and in 2023, she was elected to become a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Throughout her career, she has written extensively on various issues impacting racial economic inequality in the United States—including employment, wage, income and wealth disparities. Her expertise in these areas has made her a highly sought-after speaker and consultant both nationally and internationally, and she has appeared in major print, television, and radio media.

Dr. Wilson earned a B.A. in Economics from Hampton University, as well as a M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.