Varshini Balaji

Cultural Anthropologist and Design Researcher at Center for New York City Affairs
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(386) 825-5501
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Jennifer Brown

Varshini is a real talent and tremendous asset to any organization. Her quick intellect, deep knowledge of social issues especially in the DEI space, and her ability to write clearly and persuasively about a range of social issues was especially helpful over the last year when we collaborated on a book and myriad related assets, as well as thought leadership papers and resource guides. She is a quick learner who collaborates effectively with various team members and adapts easily to the needs and ethos of an organization. She possesses strong analytical abilities and astutely combines her passion for social justice with her empathetic nature. She is consistently cheerful and gets so much done, so quickly and accurately. I especially appreciated her dedication and professionalism throughout her time at JBC!

Coonoor Behal (she/her)

Hiring Varshini as a Design Thinking Associate at Mindhatch was THE best decision I made in 8 years of owning the company. She is a pure delight to work with: proactive, independent, resourceful, kind, and one of the fastest learners I have had the pleasure to manage. The year Varshini spent with us was one of our most productive, and also one of our most enjoyable. We cannot wait to work with her again in the future!

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Credentials

  • 2020 Design Thinking Program
    Tombolo Institute at Bellevue College
    Dec, 2020
    - Oct, 2024

Experience

    • United States
    • Public Policy Offices
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • Cultural Anthropologist and Design Researcher
      • Sep 2022 - Present

      -Conducting ethnographic interviews with counselors, financial aid professionals, students, and parents to understand the problem spaces and identify opportunities areas in the FAFSA application process -Developing research materials and assets about FAFSA application process for students in ‘special circumstances’ (students living in temporary housing, those who are new to the country, undocumented students) -Collaborating with an interdisciplinary team of designers and UX researchers to develop guidebooks and supporting materials in preparation for the 2023 FAFSA launch Show less

    • United States
    • Professional Training and Coaching
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • DEI Researcher
      • Aug 2022 - Present

      -Developing training decks and designing curriculum for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs such as Whiteness at Work and Freedom School -Conducting research and developing thought leadership about operationalizing racial equity and building liberatory organizations -Building resource guides for workshops and writing newsletter content about racial equity, caste oppression, community building, and advocacy -Developing training decks and designing curriculum for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs such as Whiteness at Work and Freedom School -Conducting research and developing thought leadership about operationalizing racial equity and building liberatory organizations -Building resource guides for workshops and writing newsletter content about racial equity, caste oppression, community building, and advocacy

    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Impact Entrepreneurship Fellow
      • Aug 2021 - Present

      -Employing community based participatory design and systems-oriented approaches to develop a sustainable venture with a focus on creating social value -Collaborating with cohort members on projects that address unmet social needs by employing interdisciplinary approaches and leveraging multimedia forms of communication -Employing community based participatory design and systems-oriented approaches to develop a sustainable venture with a focus on creating social value -Collaborating with cohort members on projects that address unmet social needs by employing interdisciplinary approaches and leveraging multimedia forms of communication

    • United States
    • Professional Training and Coaching
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • DEI Researcher
      • Sep 2021 - Aug 2022

      -Collaborated with Jennifer Brown and co-authored the second edition of the book, How To Be An Inclusive Leader -Wrote and developed resource guides on the history and ongoing challenges experienced by underinvested communities to generate awareness during cultural heritage months (Black History Month, Native American Heritage Month, Juneteenth etc.) -Developed thought leadership and writing articles around current diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics such as anti-bias hiring practices, equity in the hybrid workplace, embedding accountability in organizational cultures, etc. -Analyzed data to develop a benchmarking tool and framework that organizations can use to assess and evaluate their own DEI efforts Show less

    • United States
    • Business Consulting and Services
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • Design Thinking Associate
      • Aug 2020 - Sep 2021

      -Designed facilitation content and developed front end user experience using virtual collaboration tools such as Miro for public workshops about reimagining remote working challenges and redesigning the future of work using human centered design concepts and methods -Performed deep dive literature reviews and case study analysis of design thinking tools to develop content for a series of 10 workshops with a client to help redesign their single use cup to minimize waste and ensure carbon circularity -Developed customized content for design thinking workshops and co-facilitated meetings with clients -Conceptualized, storyboarded, scripted, and designed a video about the value of anthropological thinking in consumer and design research -Performed qualitative customer and user experience research by applying anthropological frameworks to create survey and interview tools -Conducted interviews with customers and analyzed interview data by thematically coding to gain insights about customer motivations, values, and perceptions to improve Mindhatch’s products -Developed thought leadership by writing insight articles for Mindhatch's blog on topics such as the value of an abundance mindset in innovation, strategies to build an equitable workplace, and foundational concepts of design thinking Show less

    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Fellow at Michigan Humanities Emerging Research Scholars Program (MICHHERS)
      • Jun 2020 - Jun 2020

      -Participated in a fully funded summer research program conducted by Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor -Worked closely with a faculty mentor to develop a graduate research project in the fields of Anthropology and Comparative Literature -Participated in a fully funded summer research program conducted by Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor -Worked closely with a faculty mentor to develop a graduate research project in the fields of Anthropology and Comparative Literature

    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Program Analyst at Social Justice Education
      • Jul 2019 - May 2020

      -Developed Institutional Review Board (IRB) compliant research instruments (survey and interview) to gather data about skills, abilities, and lessons gained by former students in the Social Justice Education program-Conducted ethnographic interviews with 8 former students in the program -Transcribed, thematically coded, and translated data into key insights -Communicated findings in a report that informed the structure of the program and student recruitment process in the subsequent years Show less

    • Writing Consultant at University Writing Center
      • Aug 2017 - May 2020

      -Consulted over 200 writers on their professional and personal writing and supported them in developing confidence as writers-Engaged in research projects focused on writing center pedagogies and developed assessment tools to analyze the writing center leadership -Co-authored and co-designed a publication project that was awarded a grant by the International Writing Centers Association

    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Undergraduate Researcher
      • May 2017 - May 2020

      -Conducted an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved study with Dr. Marilee Brooks-Gillies titled "Impact of Colonialism on Regional Languages and the Dominance of the English Language: India as a Case Study"-Performed qualitative and quantitative analysis focused on understanding student perceptions of English language dominance and its relationship with colonialism through a survey and ethnographic interviews-Presented research findings at 9 regional and national academic conferences Show less

    • Social Justice Scholar and Facilitator
      • Aug 2017 - May 2019

      -Facilitated open forum discussions with students, staff, and faculty on topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion through monthly events called Pass the Mic and RealTalk-Conducted research, designed, and developed resource guides for each event-Planned, organized, managed, and marketed events by coordinating with different stakeholders (marketing coordinator, staff, guest speakers, and community members)-Assisted with planning, programming, and facilitation of Tunnel of Oppression and Social Justice Symposium: programs which were designed to engage students and faculty on sociopolitical issues communicated through multimodal forms including video, film, poetry, and theater Show less

    • United States
    • Philanthropic Fundraising Services
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • Communications and Program Intern
      • Jun 2019 - Dec 2019

      -Developed an equity-based grant making framework that streamlined the grant impact evaluation process by collecting beneficiary specific data to guide effective grant allocation in the consequent years -Assisted the Foundation with strategic planning by identifying urgent and immediate focus areas to implement health and education based interventions that benefit low income communities in the Greater Indianapolis area -Supported the program team with the creation of grant agreement letters, board meeting materials, and Social Media content Show less

Education

  • The New School
    Master of Arts - MA, Anthropology
    2021 - 2023
  • Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis
    Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Anthropology Honors (Highest Distinction); Minors in Economics and Public and Professional Writing
    2016 - 2020

Community

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