Khalilah Burt Gaston

Khalilah Burt Gaston is the founding executive director of the Song Foundation, shepherding its efforts to invest in ideas, people, and organizations that amplify equity, power, prosperity, and joy in Southeast Michigan. A trained urban planner and passionate advocate for equitable communities, her work has been featured in Dwell Magazine, The New York Times, Chicago Public Radio, and the Harvard Family Research Project. Khalilah has held a variety of other positions in the private and private sectors. These include her prior role as program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where she was the foundation’s lead architect of Hope Starts Here: Detroit’s Early Childhood Partnership and managed a grant portfolio of $500 million. She received a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and Communication and a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.