Alexandra Bastien

Alexandra Bastien is the Senior Racial and Ethnic Equity Advisor in USAID’s Inclusive Development Hub. Her experience spans the fields of public policy, nonprofit management and philanthropy with gender, racial, and economic justice as through-line  in her career. She is the Founder & Principal of XB Strategies - a consulting practice providing authentic solutions to address systemic racial and economic injustice in the U.S. She is also the Co-Founder of The Imperative - A global fund dedicated to the Wealth, Health, and Connectedness in Black communities. Prior to launching The Imperative, she led the Financial Stability grant making strategy at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) which included a focus on benefits access, EITC expansion, free tax preparation, cash assistance and basic income.  Before joining SVCF, Alexandra was Senior Associate at PolicyLink, where she led a variety of projects related to advancing economic opportunity including federal tax policy, workforce/employment policy, addressing government issued fines and fees and the development of policy agendas to advance financial security. An avid messenger on the consequences of a growing racial wealth gap, Alexandra was invited to present at TEDx on what key policies are needed to address it. Alexandra was a 2012-2013 cohort member of the Proteus Fund Fellowship for Diversity in Philanthropy and served as the Co-Executive Director of the Young Black Women’s Society, Inc. Alexandra holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and a B.A. in Communication from Boston College. Alexandra was also a Connecting Leaders Fellow with the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE).