Lonnie Lusardo


*Lusardo casual

Lonnie Lusardo is the author of The Anatomy of Organized Hate: Stories of Former White Supremacists – and America’s Struggle to Understand the Hate Movement.  Lonnie is Founder and Principal Consultant for The Diversity Collaborative, a veteran owned business that specializes in Diversity and Inclusion Training. Additional areas of focus include Management and Supervision Training, Team Building, and Retreat Facilitation.

Following publication of The Anatomy of Organized Hate, Lonnie became widely known for his interactive workshop, The Truth About Hate Groups and Hate Crimes, presented at conferences, colleges and universities, and community organizations nationwide. The session highlights 13 years of interviews and research.

Since 1991, Lonnie has conducted training programs for for governments, corporations, and nonprofits across the United States. Past and present clients include:                                                                                             

  • The U.S. Department of Defense/U.S. Navy
  • The Boeing Company,
  • Verizon Wireless/AirTouch Cellular
  • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  • Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
  • Puget Sound Education Service District
  • City of Seattle,
  • Many school districts, colleges, and universities.

Some of Lonnie’s past community service projects include his role as…

  • Principal founder /Co-Chair, Seattle Race Conference
  • Chair, Seattle Police-Community Relations Task Force
  • Board Member/Chair, Antioch University (Seattle) Board of Visitors
  • Past President, Puget Sound Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development
  • Past President, Greater Seattle Business Association
  • Board Member, Leadership Tomorrow (Seattle)
  • Principal Founder/Former president of Out In Front
  • Co-Founder, Hands Off Washington
  • Member, (Seattle) AIDS Memorial Pathway Community Action Group

In the mid-1990s, Lonnie served as a mayoral appointee and Chair of the Seattle Police-Community Relations Task Force.

In 1997-98, Lonnie conducted a research project in South Africa to determine the effects of the shift from apartheid to democracy on the people of that country. The project included interviews with 65 government, corporate, and community leaders, including former Archbishop Desmond Tutu, members of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission, and the South African Ambassador to the United States. The project resulted in the development of Cross-Cultural Mediation as a way to resolve racial and other cultural differences, as well as improved techniques for Cultural Competency Training in American organizations.

In 2003, Lonnie was profiled in the book White Men Challenging Racism: 35 Personal Stories, published by Duke University Press.

Lonnie is committed to civic engagement, social justice, and fostering collaborations among a variety of community organizations, particularly with ethnic community groups and communities of faith. In 2009 he received the Edward E. Carlson Outstanding Alumnus Award from Leadership Tomorrow. In 2006, Lonnie was recognized in as an Honoree for the Thomas C. Wales Foundation Passionate Citizen Award.

The Diversity Collaborative Veteran-Owned Business Certification WDVAVOB (Issued June 13, 2017)