Read a statement from Aspen Institue on Lola Adedokun’s legacy here.
Lola Adedokun is the Executive Director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group at the Aspen Institute and co-Chair of the Aspen Institute Forum on Women and Girls. She joined the Aspen Institute in December 2021, where she leads a dynamic team advancing a portfolio of programs that expand opportunities for and access to health and prosperity for people living at the world’s margins globally and domestically.
Fostering a collaborative culture and positively reinforcing ecosystem among implementers, policymakers, researchers and local leaders, Lola seeks to nurture and empower local leaders to reduce inequality, strengthen communities and enable individuals and families to lead healthy, vibrant and self-determined lives.
Lola joined the Aspen Institute after 14 years with the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, where she administered over $150 million in grant-making as both Director of the African Health Initiative and Director of the Child Well-being Program. The African Health Initiative strengthened health systems in sub-Saharan Africa by supporting partnerships and large-scale models of care that link implementation research and workforce training directly to the delivery of integrated primary healthcare. Leading the Child Well-being Program, she supported intergenerational work that bolstered culturally-, geographically- and locally-relevant programs that promote children’s healthy development, prevent maltreatment, and create improved and more equitable outcomes for economically disadvantaged children and families.
Earlier in her career, Lola served as an Analyst with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and an Analyst and consultant at Abt Associates Inc. She also co-founded Boys Speak Out, a nonprofit organization expanding opportunities for disadvantaged youth with a unique emphasis on emotional literacy for middle and high school boys.
Lola currently serves on the boards of Foster America, Community Solutions, the National Employment Law Project, and the Brooklyn-based Explore Schools network. She earned dual B.A. degrees with Honors in Health Policy & Society and Sociology from Dartmouth College and an M.P.H. from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.