About The Author

   Lonnie Lusardo covered government and education as a reporter for a metropolitan daily newspaper in Connecticut and later served as a freelance correspondent for 35 local, regional, and national publications. In 1991, Lonnie created The Diversity Collaborative, a veteran owned cultural competency and management training firm working with government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Lonnie is a popular speaker at regional and national conferences, colleges and universities, and other venues, presenting issues related to diversity and inclusion and workshops focused on The Truth About Hate Groups and Hate Crimes. 
Lonnie is known for personal candor and facilitating interactive learning experiences. A self-acknowledged recovering racist who changed his awareness during four years in the U.S. Navy and as a student at Boston University in the 1970s, Lonnie started exploring the lives of white supremacists and other extremists after being profiled in the book White Men Challenging Racism: 35 Personal Stories, published by Duke University Press in 2003. 
   In 1997-1998, Lonnie interviewed members of President Nelson Mandela’s cabinet and senior managers in South Africa, as well as leaders of community organizations to determine the effects of the shift from apartheid to democracy He conducted a similar project in Australia and New Zealand in 2012 to determine the extent to which indigenous populations have been regarded by historically white-led governments in those countries. 

Lonnie received a BS degree in Journalism from Boston University in 1974 and a MEd degree in Education/Human Resources Development from Seattle University in 1991.