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Alum Council

Sakeenah Shabazz

Policy Director, Berkeley Food Institute; Alum Council Co-Chair

Sakeenah Shabazz (she/her) was born and raised in Southeast San Diego, California and currently resides in Oakland, California. She spent many years living and working in Washington, D.C. where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Georgetown University. In the District, Sakeenah was deeply involved in anti-hunger and anti-poverty research and advocacy efforts with D.C. Hunger Solutions where she was a Policy Associate focused on SNAP and senior hunger issues. Prior to this, Sakeenah was an Emerson Fellow in the 23rd Class where she completed her field placement with the Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI) in New Orleans, Louisiana, and her policy placement with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Sakeenah was also a full-time staff member of the Hunger Center from 2018 - 2020 supporting the Emerson Program team.

Sakeenah recently completed her Master of Public Policy degree at the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy where she had internships with the California Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), San Francisco Human Services Agency (SFHSA), and the UC Berkeley People Lab. While in school, she also worked as a Policy Assistant for two years at the Berkeley Food Institute (BFI) supporting their state and local policy, research, and educational advocacy efforts. She will serve as BFI's Policy Director beginning October 1.

Outside of work, you can find Sakeenah exploring farmer's markets around the East Bay and San Francisco, reading romantic fiction and mystery novels, traveling, and spending time with friends and family in the area.