Minoli Ratnatunga Email & Phone Number

I'm an economist dedicated to helping cities and communities prosper. My career at non-profits, think tanks, and in local government has focused on the tools and policies that create outcomes that matter. Born in Europe to Asian parents, I now call Los Angeles, California home.At Star Insights, I use my curiosity (and research skills) to help mission-driven organizations better understand and address critical issues. We partner with these organizations to think through the complex strategic choices they face, make meaningful plans, and increase their community impact. My research at Heartland Forward continues my pursuit of pragmatic and effective policies to spur economic renewal. I draw on both an in-depth local perspective from my time crafting regional development policy in Pittsburgh, and my knowledge of national best-practices built as the director of regional economics research at the Milken Institute. As a FUSE Corps executive fellow, I spent two years helping Los Angeles County with long-term planning, coalition building, and stakeholder consultation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I supported emergency nutrition programs that provided an essential lifeline for more than 10,000 older Angelenos in need. In addition to bringing an outside perspective and skill-set into a public agency, the fellowship deepened my understanding of the constraints and capabilities of local government that informs my ongoing work.I started my career at Social Enterprise London, a small non-profit that built capacity for mission-driven entrepreneurship in the U.K. Two decades later, I continue to support cross-sector collaborations that take novel approaches to create community benefit.Fields: Regional economic development, innovation, strategic planning, human capital, regional competitiveness, aging, nonprofit management, social enterprise, local government, business tax policy, transportation and transit policy, energy policy, economic impact analysis.

Listed skills include Policy Analysis, Public Policy, Economic Development, Policy, and 17 others.