Vishakha Desai

US and India; academic

Dr. Vishakha N. Desai is Senior Advisor for Global Affairs to the President of Columbia University, Senior Research Scholar at its School of International and Public Affairs and Vice-Chair of Columbia’s Committee on Global Thought. From 2004 through 2012, Dr. Desai served as President and CEO of the Asia Society, a global organization dedicated to strengthening partnerships between Asia and the U.S. She serves as the chair of the Board of Trustees of AFS Intercultural Programs as well as on the boards of Teach For All, the Social Science Research Council, and Governing Council of Krea—a new liberal arts university in India. She is also a Trustee of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and serves on the Corporate Board of Mahindra & Mahindra, one of India’s largest global corporations. She has published extensively on the role of culture in Asia and on women’s leadership issues. Her new book, “World as Family: A Journey of Multi-Rooted Belongings,” published by Columbia University press will be out in May, 2021.