As a senior fellow, Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta advises the president and leadership of the Global Development Program on their strategies and offers insight on managing projects to achieve the greatest impact. She will advise the program on learning from those it aims to serve, and will offer guidance on a range of cross-cutting issues and projects. She brings more than 20 years of experience in international development research and program development.
Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. Rao Gupta was president of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), a position she assumed in 1997 after serving in a variety of roles including consultant, researcher and officer. As president of ICRW, Dr. Rao Gupta was internationally recognized for her expertise on gender and development issues, including women’s health, economic empowerment, poverty alleviation, and gender equality. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including Harvard University’s 2006 Anne Roe Award and the 2007 Washington Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” Award. Dr. Rao Gupta also serves on the Steering Committee of aids2031, an international initiative commissioned by UNAIDS, USAID’s Advisory Committee for Voluntary Foreign Aid, and the boards of the Moriah Fund, the Nike Foundation, the MAC AIDS Fund and the Rural Development Institute.
Dr. Rao Gupta has her bachelor’s, master’s, and master of philosophy degrees in psychology from the University of Delhi, and a doctorate in philosophy from Bangalore University in India.
