Shaba R. Keys

Shaba R. Keys is a nationally recognized leader in social innovation, with over 25 years of experience advancing equity and opportunity through education, advocacy, and public-private partnerships. Her work centers on building inclusive, innovative systems that connect individual potential to economic opportunity and reimagined education to career pathways.

She currently serves as President & Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, where she is leading the organization at a pivotal moment in its history, building on a longstanding legacy of serving Harlem's young people and families. In this role, she is guiding a strategic evolution—strengthening operational excellence, deepening community and cross-sector partnerships, and advancing a comprehensive youth development continuum. Under her leadership, the organization is positioning itself as a next-generation anchor institution driving academic achievement, career readiness, and long-term economic mobility. Prior to her executive appointment, Shaba served for more than a decade in board leadership roles, including Chair of the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem and Chair of the New York/Long Island Area Council for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She currently serves as a Trustee of The Holton-Arms School.

Shaba is the Co-Founder of The Bridge Lab, an organization dedicated to connecting underrepresented youth to careers in film and media. Through partnerships with youth-serving organizations, public schools, and higher education institutions, The Bridge Lab has served more than 2,000 participants, from middle school students to law school graduates. Previously, she spent over a decade in senior leadership at Columbia University, where she designed and scaled community investment initiatives, led a workforce partnership with Empire State Development, and oversaw grantmaking and capacity-building for more than 60 nonprofit organizations. She also developed policy forums convening elected officials, practitioners, and faculty to inform public policy and strengthen university–community partnerships.

Shaba serves on the faculty of Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies in the Nonprofit Management M.S. program, where she designed and teaches Leading with Purpose: Advocacy and Strategy in the Nonprofit Sector. She also co-chairs the Columbia University Seminar on the Collaborative of Community Programs for Youth and Families.

She holds a Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America, a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University, and a Certificate of Business Excellence from Columbia Business School.