Hello and Welcome!
I’m Cindu- an Inclusion and Belonging Strategist, Professor, and Speaker.
I believe that ALL of us have the potential to be transformational agents of change!
I am a South Asian American woman, daughter of Indian immigrants, catalyst of inclusion, and disrupter of injustice.
My journey into this work began at the young age of five when I had my first taste of being othered for my difference and continued as I navigated teaching in Higher Education as a young woman of color. It was my own lived experiences of being on the wrong side of inclusion that fueled my passion and commitment towards cultivating an inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist society. In my twenty years of doing this work, I know that educating others about inclusion, intercultural intelligence, and social justice can unlock potential, elevate emotional intelligence and help develop agents of change. I am on a mission to create inclusive organizational cultures in which every one of us can thrive in. Thank you for stopping by and being a small part of this journey.
Wishing us all a beautiful and inclusive future together!
Read My Bio
With 20 years of experience as an Inclusion and Belonging Strategist and Professor, I’ve been deeply committed to helping organizations build workplace cultures that foster a sense of belonging and inclusion for today’s increasingly diverse workforce. Over the last two decades, I have developed a mastery of creating and facilitating meaningful, impactful, and actionable learning experiences that work to empower individuals to become agents of change and champions of inclusion. I'm also an award-winning tenured professor of Communication Studies at the College of Lake County (CLC), specializing in Intercultural Communication, Public Speaking, and Online Learning and currently partnering with Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Nonprofit Management, where I teach and coach on the topic of inclusive leadership. My commitment to inclusion extends beyond my professional life into community engagement. I co-founded the Chicago Women’s Leadership Accelerator, a conference dedicated to increasing representation of women in leadership roles and the South Asian Solidarity Movement, a social impact organization that creates educational opportunities and community building experiences designed to encourage a commitment to anti-oppression, inclusion, and cross racial solidarity.
Experienced Inclusion
&
Belonging Practitioner
Award Winning Professor
Nationally Recognized Speaker
Change Agent
Interested in learning how you can help develop agents of change who are prepared to cultivate an organizational culture of inclusion and belonging?
To learn more about Shakti Diversity and Equity Training, read a few case studies, or to get in touch with Shakti, click the link below.
What drives my work
I am driven by the transformative nature of education and fueled by the growth and evolution I witness within my students, clients, and the organizations I partner with. I feel blessed to engage in such meaningful work and grateful to be able to use my position of privilege and the expertise, lived experiences, and skills that I have accumulated over my career to help develop consciously individuals who are empowered to lead transformational culture change. I firmly believe that it is responsibility of ALL of us to ensure that our communities and workplaces are inclusive and equitable, and I am deeply committed to help make this responsibility a reality.
Contact
Get in touch with me to learn more about how we can work together!
