About
Celina Barrios-Millner is a dynamic and results-driven leader with over two decades of experience advancing equity, economic mobility, and community-driven solutions. Celina’s work is driven by the belief that real change happens when communities are empowered to shape their own futures. A trusted strategist and coalition-builder, she has led transformative initiatives across government, research institutions, and the nonprofit sector that remove systemic barriers and create pathways to opportunity.
As chief of economic opportunity at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, she is focused on leading strategic economic and community development initiatives to ensure fairness and inclusivity in all the economic activity that falls under the purview of the MCCA. As an Institute Fellow at the Urban Institute, Celina led the State and Local Community Impact Initiative where she helped equip government changemakers to advance equitable outcomes through public policy solutions. Previously, she served as the city of Boston’s chief of equity and inclusion where she was charged with embedding equity and racial justice into all city planning and operations. Additionally, she helped establish the city’s first Supplier Diversity program, oversaw the city’s local hire policy, and helped design the city’s Immigrant Advancement Agenda. She has also worked at the state level, where she led partnership development for the state’s Supplier Diversity Office, and she has led regional and national efforts to advance civic engagement and immigration reform.
Celina holds a Master in Public Policy in urban policy and strategic management from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and human rights from The American University.
