Sonia Moldovan leads the Conrad N. Hilton Program Department. In her role Moldovan provides thought leadership on strategy, evaluation, and oversight of an annual grant portfolio of approximately $300 million.
Moldovan joined the Hilton Foundation in 2020 as first-ever director of the Foundation’s Strategy, Learning and Evaluation Division (SLED). In this role, she built and grew a team of strategy and evaluation experts who support the Foundation in developing equity-focused strategies and use evidence to adapt strategies and maintain accountability to stakeholders, contributing to the Foundation’s impact on the communities served. With a career spanning two decades, Moldovan contributed to both domestic and international programs across various sectors such as education, health, and livelihoods.
Before joining the Foundation, Moldovan was the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) at Mercy Corps. In this role, she championed the integration of Evaluation and Learning within the organization, steering the learning strategy for a $450 million portfolio. During her tenure in Afghanistan and South Sudan, where she led the evaluation and learning team for programs exceeding $500 million, Moldovan emphasized cultivating a culture centered on evidence. She prioritized listening to communities and utilizing evidence to inform decisions, directing investments in assessments to comprehend the impact of projects on diverse groups, including women, returnees, and youth.
Sonia holds a master’s degree in international economic development from George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.