Alexandra Hiniker sparked a worldwide movement when she created the concept of the award-winning Voluntary Local Review while leading New York City's Sustainable Development Goals program, making New York City the first city in the world to report directly to the United Nations on its local implementation of this ambitious global agenda. She is now Director of Sustainability Initiatives at Carnegie Mellon University, where is responsible for aligning the university's education, research, and practices to the Sustainable Development Goals. She oversaw the world's first Voluntary University Review in 2020.

Alexandra’s approach to the Sustainable Development Goals is informed by 15 years of experience working in 18 countries across the globe. This includes leading humanitarian disarmament initiatives in some of the world’s most bombed and mined countries, advocating for locally-led peacebuilding processes at the United Nations in New York, and implementing pandemic preparedness projects in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Alexandra earned a B.A. from the University of Chicago, an M.A. from Uniwersytet Jagielloński in Kraków, Poland, and an M.S. in Urban Policy and Leadership from Hunter College in New York City. She also studied at Sciences Po-Paris.