Dr. Janaé Bonsu-Love

Janaé Bonsu-Love is Director of Research at the Building Movement Project (BMP), where she leads the Race to Lead initiative—one of the largest national studies on race, leadership, and nonprofit work in the United States. She also directs other projects on intersectional experiences in nonprofit leadership, philanthropic accountability, and nonprofit infrastructure.

An activist researcher, licensed master social worker, and educator, Janaé has extensive experience designing and leading mixed-methods studies that bridge research and advocacy. Her scholarship and public work focus on race, gender, criminalization, and nonprofit leadership, with a commitment to producing actionable findings that strengthen organizations and movements. She is co-author of Imperial Policing: Weaponized Data in Carceral Chicago (University of Minnesota Press, 2024), and her research and advocacy experience includes roles at the National Black Women’s Justice Institute and Black Youth Project (BYP100).

Janaé holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Illinois Chicago and an MA in Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration from the University of Chicago. She also serves on the board of directors at mRelief, a nonprofit transforming access to social services.