Lila Burgos
Lila Burgos is Deputy Director at UCLA LPPI, where she leads strategy, operations, and organizational learning for the country’s leading Latino policy research institute. Since joining in 2022, she has directed LPPI’s growth from mid-stage startup to organizational maturity, overseeing the development of the institute’s first strategic plan, building its hiring and systems infrastructure, and establishing the team culture behind its research and policy work. Her focus is on organizational development and building the architecture and systems that allow LPPI to scale.
Lila is also one of LPPI’s public voices. She is a skilled public speaker who represents the institute externally, authors LPPI’s newsletters, represents LPPI at national convenings, and briefs funders and policymakers on the institute’s research.
She brings more than 15 years of experience in measurement, evaluation, and organizational learning, working with public, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations to build systems that translate research into impact. Her areas of expertise span place-based initiatives, health equity, the social determinants of health, economic justice, and equitable grantmaking.
Previously, Lila was a Senior Consultant at Harder+Company Community Research and Integration & Learning Manager at First 5 LA. She has served on several nonprofit boards and remains deeply involved in local civil society. She holds a BA in International Studies from the University of Arizona and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA.
