Chief Executive Officer
she/her/hers
"Leadership requires the practice of love. It calls us to build trusting relationships, steward institutions with care, share power with intention, and make decisions that advance dignity, belonging, and justice." — Rinal Ray
Rinal Ray is a housing justice leader, attorney, and public servant whose career has been dedicated to advancing housing stability, strengthening communities, and transforming the systems that shape opportunity. With more than two decades of leadership spanning government, nonprofit organizations, public policy, and advocacy, she brings a deep commitment to racial equity, community partnership, and building lasting solutions to housing injustice.
As Chief Executive Officer of Funders Together for Housing Justice, Rinal leads the organization's work to mobilize philanthropy in advancing housing justice nationwide. She is committed to helping funders strengthen their impact by investing in community-led solutions, building authentic partnerships across movements, and advancing policies that ensure everyone has access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.
Before joining Funders Together, Rinal served as Assistant Commissioner for Housing Stability at Minnesota Housing, where she established and led the agency's Housing Stability Division. In that role, she oversaw statewide housing stability grant programs and supportive housing initiatives designed to prevent and end homelessness while helping communities navigate evolving challenges through collaboration, innovation, and equity-centered policymaking.
Previously, Rinal served as Chief Executive Officer of People Serving People, where she led one of the nation's largest organizations serving families experiencing homelessness. During her tenure, she advanced both direct services and systems-change strategies, recognizing that lasting progress requires not only meeting immediate needs but also addressing the structural conditions that create housing instability.
Earlier in her career, Rinal advanced nonprofit advocacy and public policy as Deputy Public Policy Director at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, served as a staff attorney with the Minnesota Justice Foundation, and taught nonprofit advocacy, lobbying, and organizing in the Master of Advocacy and Political Leadership program at Metropolitan State University. Throughout her career, she has served on numerous nonprofit boards and advisory committees dedicated to housing, children and families, and community well-being.
Rinal earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Political Science from Macalester College and a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law. She lives in Minneapolis with her family and enjoys bike rides, family game nights, sharing good food with friends, and staying connected to her local community.