Kavita Ramdas is an inspirational and mindful leader, an advocate for human rights, open and civil societies, and a respected advisor and commentator on issues of social [...]]]> The WRIHC is excited to announce Kavita N. Ramdas as our keynote speaker for the 2012 conference: “At A Crossroads: Choosing Hidden Paths in Global Health.”

Kavita Ramdas is an inspirational and mindful leader, an advocate for human rights, open and civil societies, and a respected advisor and commentator on issues of social entrepreneurship, global development, leadership, education, health, and philanthropy. Kavita has spent her professional life shaping a world where gender equality and justice can help ensure human rights and dignity for all.

Kavita currently serves as the Executive Director of Ripples to Waves: Program on Social Entrepreneurship and Development at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). She conceptualized and designed the program with key faculty leaders to deepen the links and learning opportunities among social change leaders, global philanthropy, academia and the private sector, while empowering social entrepreneurs to share their ideas on gender, democracy and civil society.

Kavita served as President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, from 1996 to 2010, which grew under her leadership to become the world’s largest public foundation for women’s rights. During her tenure, the Global Fund’s assets increased to $21 million from $3 million, giving women in more than 170 countries critical access to financial capital that fueled innovation and change.

Prior to the Global Fund for Women, Kavita was at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, leading grantmaking programs in Economic Development, Reproductive Health, and Population. Kavita is the recipient of numerous philanthropic and leadership awards including the Council on Foundation’s Scrivner Award for Creative Grantmaking and Legal Momentum’s 2011 Women of Achievement Award.

Kavita serves on the Board of Trustees of Princeton University, Mount Holyoke College, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Planned Parenthood Federation of the USA, and the African Women’s Development Fund USA. She Chairs the newly formed Women in Public Service, an Initiative developed and led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Melanne Verveer Ambassador at large for Women’s Rights of the US State Department. She also chairs the Expert Working Group of the Council of Global Leaders for Reproductive Health, an initiative of the Aspen Institute, led by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland. She recently completed her term as Member of the first-ever
Advisory Panel to the Global Development Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Kavita serves on a number of Advisory Councils, including those of the Global Health Initiative for the University of Chicago, the Asian University for Women, Room to Read, and the African Women’s Millennium Initiative on Poverty and Human Rights.

Kavita was born and raised in India, has lived in the UK, Burma and Germany, and was educated at Delhi University, Mount Holyoke College, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Kavita lives with her husband, Zulfiqar Ahmad, and daughter, Mira, in California.

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