Lee Pelton is the CEO & President of The Boston Foundation, one of the  nation’s leading philanthropic organizations with $1.8 billion in assets. He  joined the Foundation in June 2021, after serving as President of Emerson  College (2011-2021) and Willamette University (1998-2011).

Pelton has positioned The Boston Foundation, one of the nation's first and  most influential community foundations, as an agent for social change by  centering equity in its programs, grantmaking and civic leadership., Under his  leadership, the Foundation’s defining ambition is to achieve equity, which  first involves acknowledging and then seeking to eliminate the structural and  underlying causes of outcome disparities for historically marginalized  communities. 

A signature Boston Foundation program is its Racial Wealth Partnership,  established in late 2022, as part of the Boston Foundation’s commitment to  close racial wealth gaps in Greater Boston and the region by expanding  homeownership by people of color. The Partnership is a broad-based group  of more than 40 members representing sectors including banking and  finance, housing, issue advocacy, government, healthcare, life sciences and  education.  

Pelton has combined authentic leadership, civic engagement, and a deep  commitment to social justice with his skill and vision for growing institutional  capacity and effectiveness. The result has been a legacy of stronger, more  diverse institutions that have expanded opportunities for students. Along the  way, Pelton often has been recognized as a civic and education leader, both  regionally and nationally. 

While a college president, Pelton emerged as a powerful national voice on  social issues and the value of liberal arts education. In the aftermath of the  Sandy Hook mass shooting, he gathered over 250 college and university  presidents to sign a letter asking President Obama to assist in establishing  common-sense gun legislation. He has been active nationally and written  widely in support of affirmative action, beginning with the 2003 Michigan  University and Law School Supreme Court cases. Pelton has advocated for  college in prison initiatives, seeing firsthand at Emerson College’s prisoner  education programs that policy inadequacies hamper their effectiveness. 

Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, Pelton’s essay America is  on Fire, reflects powerfully on the significance of Floyd’s death with a frank  and honest reference to his own experiences in America. His essay quickly  and widely spread, having reached an audience of more than 6 million people  around the globe. Forbes Magazine placed it the top of its list of the five most  noteworthy writings that appeared after the George Floyd incident.