Atiya Weiss joins class of 19 changemakers committed to reinventing systems so all children and families thrive.
Burke Foundation Executive Director Atiya Weiss is among 19 leaders chosen for a prestigious Ascend Fellowship by the Aspen Institute. Over 18 months, Ascend Fellows commit to participating in four fellowship forums, creating and carrying out an action plan that amplifies their vision to enable children and families to reach their full potential, and optimizing monthly individual or peer group check-in calls.
“I’m honored to join a class of incredible advocates and practitioners who serve families and communities,” Atiya said. “As an Aspen Ascend Fellow, I look forward to championing birth equity by expanding the perinatal community workforce to deliver enhanced care to women and families and create new employment opportunities.”
Atiya oversees development and execution of Burke Foundation strategies to pursue targeted initiatives and partnerships focused on promoting healthy pregnancies and births, healthy parent-child relationships, and high-quality early learning and care.
Atiya graduated with degrees in biology and public policy from Brown University and has a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from Columbia University. Before joining the Burke Foundation, Atiya was Executive Director at JP Morgan’s Philanthropy Center. From 2001 to 2011, she led the Pfizer Foundation’s global health portfolio and spearheaded flagship programs, including Pfizer Global Health and Mobilize Against Malaria. She serves as trustee of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers. Atiya and her husband live in Princeton with their two sons.
Ascend is a policy program of the Aspen Institute and the national hub for breakthrough ideas and collaborations that move children and their parents toward educational success and economic security. The program takes a two-generation approach to its work and embraces commitment to gender and racial equity lenses. Ascend elevates effective policies and solutions that move children and their parents towards educational success and economic security.
The Aspen Institute, based in Washington, DC, is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 to promote the creation of a free, just, and equitable society in a nonpartisan and nonideological setting through seminars, policy programs, conferences, and leadership development initiatives.
Meet the 19 Aspen Ascend 2021 Class Fellows.