Deena Ragavan

Deena Ragavan is the Director of International Programs. Prior to joining ACLS, Deena worked in institutional fundraising and grant writing for a wide range of nonprofit organizations primarily serving under-resourced communities. In that time, she has helped raise more than $15 million in funding from public and private sources. Her experience includes developing and supporting evidence-based programs, from reducing hospitalizations among high-need Medicaid users to data-driven homelessness prevention strategies. Most recently, she served as Senior Development Officer at the Clinton Foundation, where she supported institutional partnerships, grant administration, and strategy for national and international initiatives across diverse sectors, including renewable energy, agricultural development, and early childhood education. Before transitioning to the nonprofit sector, Deena was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and a Whiting Foundation Dissertation Fellow. She holds a PhD and AM in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University.