Sayu Bhojwani, Ph.D

Dr. SAYU BHOJWANI is a civic entrepreneur and democracy futurist committed to advancing the leadership of Black, Native, indigenous, and immigrant women. Born in India and raised in Belize, she is a proud New Yorker who served as New York City’s first Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs. She is the author of People Like Us: The New Wave of Candidates Knocking at Democracy’s Door (The New Press, 2018). She is currently an Open Society Foundations Equality Fellow and is writing a book on how everyday Americans can reclaim democracy. She is the Principal of Collective Future Consulting, which advises organizations, women leaders and donors on strategies for a more reflective and inclusive America.

In 2020, she founded Women’s Democracy Lab to support women of color in elected office and served as its executive director for two years. In 2010, she founded New American Leaders and served as its President for 10 years. In that capacity, she recruited, coached and supported over 100 first and second generation Americans who now serve in local, state or federal office.

A proven expert on diversity and democracy, she gave a widely viewed TED talk on immigrants’ critical role in our democracy. In 2019, CQ Roll Call named her one of three people outside of the Beltway to watch. She has extensive television and radio experience on outlets such as NPR, CNN and MSNBC and writes regularly on women’s leadership, immigration and democracy.

Dr. Bhojwani served on the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, convened by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a board member of the Center for Fiction and the North Star Fund. Her other work experience includes serving as philanthropic advisor to Michael R. Bloomberg, starting and leading the New York City-based South Asian Youth Action and teaching in Belize and New York. She was honored in 2024 as a Groundswell Action Fund Vanguard Legacy Awardee.

She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Miami, and an M.A. in English Education, an M.Ed. in Comparative Education, and PhD in Politics and Education, all from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Follow her on twitter: @SayuBhojwani.