Zaina Awad has over 10 years of work experience in the public health sphere both in the U.S. and abroad across private and nonprofit sectors. She is currently the Manager of Communications and Engagement at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago where she has her dream job of supporting the hospital’s community health initiatives.
As a Palestinian, Zaina has first-hand experience in the life-changing impact of investing in education and leadership development, beginning with her own experiences growing up in East Jerusalem. She worked on Monitoring and Evaluation at Madrasati Palestine, an initiative launched by Queen Rania of Jordan focused on rehabilitating primary and secondary schools in East Jerusalem focusing on creating safe and supportive spaces for Palestinian youth to learn and grow. This work was done in partnership with other nonprofit and community-based organizations including Injaz Jordan, Save the Children and others.
Zaina received her B.A. in Anthropology from Princeton University, which is where she met Anna. She received her MA in Public Health, with a focus on Health Communications and a certification in Global Health from the University of Michigan. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and their young son.