Dara Menashi, Ph.D.: she/her is a systems reform expert with years of experience understanding how complex systems operate when they overlap local, state and federal jurisdictions. Her work focuses on field building in areas that intersect public, private non-profit, community and philanthropic actors. 

She has held several leadership positions at the Annie E. Casey Foundation --one of the nation’s largest foundations focused on improving life outcomes for underprivileged children and families.  Her work included spearheading the development of a state-based strategy to transform the structure, case practice and funding mechanisms of public child welfare systems. The successful replication of the strategy in several states led to a tipping point in the field, and codification in federal legislation changing the foundational funding mechanisms of an over $30 billion per year industry. Her work was captured in the publication FIxing a Broken System Transforming Maine’s Child Welfare System and she was highlighted in the Huffington Post for her innovative use of technology to improve well-being outcomes for children. Dara brings her expertise in field building and system change to the evolving field of access to PAT in our medical system 

Dara has worked extensively with the donors in the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative helping hone organizational goals and aid those seeking funding clarify their theory of change to shape proposals. Her previous work on increasing access to effective health care for marginalized communities includes helping both the Fenway Institute and the Camden Coalition spread best practices by improving their technical assistance offering  to other institutions. She is a board member of Harvard Business School Community Action Partners whose mission is to increase the impact of mission-driven organizations by strengthening their ability to address our community’s greatest challenges. Dara holds a Ph.D. and a MPP in Public Policy from Harvard University and BA in Economics from Boston University.