Ali Noorani

Ali Noorani is the program director of U.S. democracy at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. He manages the grantmaking process to strengthen America’s electoral and governing institutions, ultimately building public trust in our democracy. 

Ali joined the foundation after serving for 14 years as president and chief executive officer of the National Immigration Forum where he was recognized for creative coalition building to bring together unlikely allies to promote the value of immigration. 

He is a past chair of the board of Roosevelt Forward, and currently a board member of More in Common. His past fellowships include the Emerson Dial Fellowship and the Arizona State University Social Transformation Lab. Ali is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Ali is the author of two books, “There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration” and “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants,” and has published work in a range of local, national, and international outlets. 

He holds a master’s in public health from Boston University School of Public Health and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. Ali is a fellow at the University of Chicago Center for Effective Government; a fellow of the fourth class of the Civil Society Fellowship (a Partnership of ADL and The Aspen Institute); and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.