What’s in a title, and what can it tell us about how we lead? In her latest reflection, Funders Together President Rinal Ray shares the thinking behind her transition from Chief Executive Officer to President. What began as a question about language became a broader conversation about power, organizational values, and the kind of leadership needed to mobilize philanthropy toward housing and racial justice.

By Rinal Ray, President

Two months into my time at Funders Together for Housing Justice, I’m still asking a lot of questions.

Some are big: What does our field need from Funders Together right now? Where can we have the greatest impact? How do we mobilize philanthropy toward housing and racial justice in a moment that demands urgency and imagination?

Others might seem smaller.

Like: What should my title be?

When I joined Funders Together in August, I stepped into the role of Chief Executive Officer. It is a familiar title, one I’ve held before, that communicates organizational leadership and authority. 

But I kept coming back to one word: Chief.

As a non-Native person leading a justice-oriented organization, I began questioning whether I needed that word to communicate my leadership. Staff raised the question early on, too, prompting me to explore its history.

What I found was nuanced. “Chief” is not Indigenous in origin, and Native nations and Native-led organizations make different choices about its use. Yet in the United States, the word has also been applied broadly to distinct Indigenous leadership traditions, sometimes in stereotypical or reductive ways. 

I don’t believe there’s a single answer to whether the title is appropriate. But I found myself asking a different question: 

If I don’t need the word “Chief” to describe my leadership, why use it?

That question opened the door to a larger conversation about language, power, and what leadership should mean at Funders Together.

Language is part of how we practice our values 

At Funders Together, we understand that language shapes what people believe is possible. The words we choose can reinforce assumptions about who deserves housing, whole expertise matters, and who holds power. Our work challenges those narratives and advance alternatives rooted in dignity, justice, and collective liberation. 

We should bring that same curiosity to ourselves.

We call Funders Together a Philanthropy Mobilizing Organization because we don’t exist simply to serve philanthropy. We exist to move philanthropy toward housing and racial justice. 

That work requires leadership, accountability, and the willingness to exercise authority. It also requires relationships, shared power, and a commitment to listening and learning. I want my leadership to reflect both. 

From CEO to President

Following conversations with staff and our Board, the Board decided to change my title from Chief Executive Officer to President of Funders Together for Housing Justice.

My responsibilities, authority, and accountability remain the same. But President better reflects the leadership I hope to practice: one grounded in stewardship, relationships, and collective purpose. 

A title change alone won’t transform an organization. Our values must show up in our decisions, relationships, and actions. But the language we choose is one place to begin. 

Over these first two months, I’ve listened to staff, board members, members, partners, and movement leaders. I’ve learned about the organization’s history and begun imagining what we can build together. 

As I continue on this journey, I’m still asking questions. One in particular that will guide me: 

If we know the world we want to build, how do we make sure the ways we lead, organize, communicate, and use our power are helping us get there?

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. Prior to joining Funders Together, she served as Assistant Commissioner for Housing Stability at Minnesota Housing and previously as Chief Executive Officer of People Serving People.

She brings more than two decades of leadership experience spanning government, nonprofit organizations, public policy, advocacy, and systems change, with a deep commitment to racial equity, community partnership, and housing justice.

Read Rinal's full biography.