Shaheen Kassim-Lakha

Shaheen Kassim-Lakha leads external engagements at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, fostering collaborations with peer funders and local, national, and international partners to unlock resources and influence policies that amplify the Foundation’s impact. In her previous role as Director of International Programs, Shaheen oversaw the planning, development, and evaluation of global initiatives focused on safe water access, children in communities affected by HIV and AIDS, blindness prevention and education, and disaster relief and recovery. She also led grant programs on global capacity-building, monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

With a broad academic and professional background in health services and public health, Shaheen’s experience spans hospital administration, environmental health policy for urban centers in North America, and program management across Asia and Africa. Prior to joining the Hilton Foundation, she served as a senior program officer at the UniHealth Foundation for six years.

Shaheen holds a Master of Public Health from UCLA and pursued doctoral studies in health services at UCLA’s School of Public Health, where her research focused on measuring results and developing evaluation approaches for healthcare philanthropy. She has also served as a consultant to foundations and donor organizations, advising on community-based initiatives, regional health systems development, program evaluation, and health policy research.