Asha balances systems thinking and execution, building programs, processes, and tools rooted in wide community involvement. Over the past 25 years, she has worked with schools, districts, and numerous other organizations undergoing major change.
In 2018, Asha designed and taught "Data for Good" at BEAM, a statistics class for rising 7th graders that explores race, class, and school outcomes using NYC school and other public data.
Prior to Verdant, Asha volunteered extensively in Math and ELA ICT classrooms at Brooklyn's PS/MS 282 and PS 133. From 2012 to 2013, she was the Executive Director of Data & Policy at Newark Public Schools in New Jersey. She developed Newark’s first publicly available school snapshots where she solicited and incorporated key parent feedback. Previously, Asha led the school improvement practice at Wireless Generation (now Amplify), designing and launching its Lead Partner turnaround model, and supporting schools in Indianapolis, Washington DC, and Detroit. She also led Strategy & Finance at Edvance Learning, a start-up school group in India.
Asha began her career at Goldman Sachs in investment banking in New York and then distressed debt in London. Later, she was a product manager at open-source software leader, Red Hat, and a Director at disruptive innovation pioneer, Innosight Ventures.
She has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics with Honors from the University of Chicago. She has lived and worked in the US, India, Europe, Singapore, and East Africa. For the past 13 years, Asha has lived in Brooklyn where she is an avid CrossFitter, Food Coop member, skier, and outdoors explorer.