Public Health Institute Names Ken Shapiro Chief Development and Strategic Initiatives Officer

Oakland, CA (April 6, 2026)—The Public Health Institute (PHI) today announced that Ken Shapiro has been appointed Chief Development and Strategic Initiatives Officer, joining the organization’s executive leadership team. In this role, Shapiro will lead strategy for long-term organizational growth, advance innovative public health business models and strengthen partnerships across the public, private, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. Shapiro will begin his role on April 9, 2026.

As Chief Development and Strategic Initiatives Officer, Shapiro will be responsible for designing and launching new initiatives aligned with PHI’s mission and organizational priorities. He also will oversee PHI’s development efforts and strategic communications, supporting the institute’s continued impact and sustainability amid an increasingly complex public health landscape.

Shapiro comes to PHI with more than two decades of experience leading systems change across federal, state and local government, as well as the private sector. He is currently co-founder and CEO of Apriqot Inc., a public health data and analytics company that modernizes state and local population health techniques. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Assistant Director for the County of Marin Department of Health and Human Services, where he co-led the county’s COVID-19 emergency response in coordination with local, state and federal partners.

Earlier in his career, Shapiro held several senior leadership roles in the federal government. From 2011 to 2017, he served as deputy to the HHS Region IX Director, supporting a region of more than 50 million people across California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Tribal Nations and U.S.-affiliated Pacific jurisdictions. From 2003 to 2011, he was a policy analyst and advisor at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, where he coordinated interagency implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy, represented the administration’s drug control agenda before Congress and oversaw $92 million in federal grant programs.

Shapiro holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science from Tulane University.

###

The Public Health Institute is an independent nonprofit organization that advances wellbeing and health equity with communities around the world. PHI develops research, leadership and partnerships to build strong public health policy, programs, systems and practices. For more information, visit www.phi.org.