Helen Miller Gould Shepard was an American philanthropist and member of the wealthy Gould family born in New York City.

The Gould family is a wealthy American family that came to prominence in the late 19th century. The family's fortune was primarily earned through a railroad empire built by Jason "Jay" Gould, a notorious "robber baron" during the Gilded Age. At its height, this network comprised the Denver & Rio Grande, Missouri Pacific, Wheeling & Lake Erie, Wabash, Texas Pacific, Western Maryland and International-Great Northern railroads among others.