Daniel Lee

Daniel Lee is president and CEO of the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. He joined the Fund in 2026 to lead it through its final chapter, guiding its grantmaking and shaping a 75-year legacy alongside the communities and partners at the heart of its work.

Lee is a leader in changing the culture and practice of philanthropy. As Director of Philanthropic Transformation at Solidaire Network, he worked with foundations and donors—including several navigating sunsets—to move resources toward long-term structural change and cultivated leaders of color in the philanthropic sector.

Lee spent 17 years at the Levi Strauss Foundation, 12 of them as executive director. In that role, he partnered regularly with the Haas, Jr. Fund on immigrant rights and other shared commitments. Under his leadership, the Levi Strauss Foundation received an inaugural Impact Award from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy and was named best corporate donor by Inside Philanthropy for its work on marginalization, LGBTQ equality, and worker rights.

He joined Solidaire in 2023 after serving as executive-in-residence at the Council on Foundations. His board service includes Community Change, New Breath Foundation, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, and the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.

Lee holds an AB in religion from Princeton University, a Master of Divinity from Harvard University, and an Honorary Doctor of Sacred Theology from Starr King School for the Ministry.