Ariana Salazar serves as senior associate on the Environmental and Social Innovation team at Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy. She supports the social innovation prize programs by building and nurturing a global network of entrepreneurs working to solve critical social and environmental challenges.

Originally from the Philippines and now based in Washington, DC, Salazar’s work centers on advancing inclusive, community-rooted approaches to social innovation. Prior to joining the Institute, she led partnerships with nonformal education institutions at Bukas, a FinTech startup in the Philippines focused on expanding access to higher education. She has also worked closely with mission-driven startups and incubators to design innovation programs. Earlier in her career, she managed stakeholder engagement, events, and communications at the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.