Breanna Hawkins
career background
Breanna Hawkins is an experienced social justice and policy professional with a deep commitment to advancing solutions that foster racial equity, community power, and healthy neighborhoods. As a portfolio manager in philanthropy, Breanna manages close to $3 million in public investments to improve conditions for young children and families in historically impacted communities.
Previously, Breanna served as Health Equity Strategist for the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, where she led racial equity action planning and equitable land use strategy supporting local health departments across six Southern California counties. Breanna also served as Policy Director for the Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC), where she led strategic policy campaigns and community leadership programs. Prior to LAFPC, Breanna worked as an evaluator for a pilot project funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and also worked at Community Health Councils as a Senior Policy Analyst. Breanna additionally has international experience leading public health and community development initiatives in Panama, India, and West Africa.
specialties
Racial equity training and capacity building, Policy analysis and evaluation, Strategic planning and implementation, Leadership development, Project and program management, Public speaking and presentations, Analytical writing, Research and critical race analysis, Grant and contract management, Facilitating diverse cross-sector teams.
industry background & education
Breanna graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California (USC) where she earned an undergraduate degree in Public Policy and Management and a master’s degree in urban planning. In 2011, Breanna was awarded the Emery E. Olson award for outstanding achievements in civic leadership from USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy.
noted accomplishments
- Breanna was recognized by the UC Berkeley Food Institute as one of 20 Emerging Food System Leaders in California.
- Founding instructor at the Limitless Academy—an enrichment program aiming to bridge the STEM gap among Black and Latinx youth in South Los Angeles.
- Board Member: Sustainable Economic Enterprises Los Angeles (SEE-LA, 2019 – Present)
- Fellowship: Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute (LAAAWPPI, 2012)
- Founding Member: Partnership for an Equitable Los Angeles (USC, 2010 –2011)