Shalane Yuen is a global social impact leader whose work spans multiple continents and cultures. As the Founding Managing Director of the Trevor Noah Foundation, a South African-based nonprofit focused on enhancing equitable access to quality education, she has raised over $13 million and established innovative partnerships with USAID, Microsoft, and the Young African Leaders Initiative to enhance educational access across Africa.
Her 13-year journey in social impact has taken her from management consulting at Namibia's Ministry of Home Affairs & Immigration to developing entrepreneurship programs in South Africa. Selected as an Emerging Markets Development Advisers Program (EMDAP) Fellow through USAID and IIE, she worked to bridge the gap between corporate South Africa and black-owned businesses, promoting economic inclusion through supplier diversity. This experience with cross-sector partnerships laid the groundwork for her later work at Seed Academy, where she contributed to entrepreneurship research and curriculum development, focusing on business model innovation and social impact in South Africa.
Drawing from her international experience, including studies at Thammasat University in Thailand, Shalane brings a unique perspective to social impact strategy, organizational development, and innovative problem-solving. She holds a Master of Public Administration in International Non-Profit Management and Policy from NYU's Wagner School and dual bachelor's degrees in Economics and Sociology from the University of California, San Diego. Born in Hawaii, Shalane now lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and daughter.
