Leena Kulkarni’s academic and professional career is predicated on a commitment to social justice and equity in the workplace and the classroom. At Catalyst, Leena specialized in Vital Signs – Catalyst’s unique and robust analytical process allowing companies to unpack workforce data and investigate trends, opportunities towards achieving greater internal equity. Using data-driven insights, Leena helped co-create strategies that are tailored, culturally competent, and achievable.

Before Catalyst, Leena worked as a Civic Engagement Strategist at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School to direct stakeholder outreach, operations, and strategic planning to increase youth civic and voter participation nation-wide. As part of the United Nations Development Programme’s Gender Team, Leena analyzed the results of the Gender Equality Seal Programme’s electronic integration throughout the Latin America and Caribbean region.  At Harvard Business School, Leena contributed to the end-to-end design of a rigorous study to understand gender-based decision-making in hiring and promotional decisions in the workplace. Leena also spent two years as an educator in Las Vegas.

Leena holds an MPH in Social and Behavioral Science from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, an M.Ed in Curriculum Design and Instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a B.S. in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University. She grew up in six countries that span three continents and spends most of her time out of the office traveling, hiking, and writing.