Vandinika Shukla

Vandinika Shukla is the Deputy Director of Global Programs at the Obama Foundation where she works with youth change makers in the US on strengthening democracy and values-based leadership to build common ground in the face of political polarization.

Previously, she worked on AI, securing democratic processes and global elections at Microsoft’s Democracy Forward team.

Vandinika has spent the past decade at the intersection of human rights, diplomacy, tech policy, democracy and youth leadership. Vandinika has incubated the Practicing Democracy Project at the Harvard Kennedy School where she taught movement building, storytelling, and social change to changemakers in the U.S. and across 16 countries.

Vandinika was also a Strategist at MIT Media Lab’s Center for Constructive Communications where she built AI tools to amplify underheard voices in policymaking and journalism, and facilitate dialogue across differences.

Prior to her time at Harvard, Vandinika designed gender policies and worked on implementing human rights conventions and women's political participation at the United Nations. Vandinika holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a Masters in International Relations from London School of Economics and Political Science.

Vandinika’s writing on technology, strengthening democracy and the power of stories to build common ground - especially during the 2024 Vote-a-Rama year - has been featured in Slate Magazine, Tech Policy Press, The Boston Globe, The Conversation, Indian Express and other national dailies. Vandinika is a Fellow at Tech Policy Press and serves on the Board of Directors for Fora Network for Change - a global organization bringing 2000+ young female leaders to spaces of power. 

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