MPH, MPA, Philanthropy and Nonprofit Consultant, SRT Advising & Consulting
Sharmila Rao Thakkar, MPH, MPA, is a philanthropy and nonprofit
consultant at SRT Advising & Consulting in New York City. She has been
working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector for 20+ years. From her
early days as a grade school hospital candy-striper to tutoring children as a
teenager, building programs earlier in her career and now mentoring young
professionals and guiding families & organizations, she has a keen
awareness and passion for nonprofit/philanthropy work. Utilizing expertise
in leadership development, program implementation, resource development
and communications, she advises and coaches donors, families and
organizations on operations, strategy, board governance/development,
multigenerational engagement, equity & inclusion, grantmaking and
community outreach activities; conducts workshops and trainings; and
writes and presents at nonprofit and philanthropy forums. She also serves as
an affiliate consultant with the Support Center, director for the Staten Island
Not for Profit Association/Community Organizations Active in Disaster
coalition, 21/64 certified trainer in multigenerational philanthropy, and
mentor for philanthropy/nonprofit leadership development programs.
Prior, Sharmila was appointed the first non-family executive director of the
Siragusa Family Foundation in Chicago, where she directed the operational,
programmatic, and administrative functions of the organization,
participating in all roles key to running a charitable endeavor. She guided
board funding decisions and evaluated programs in health, social services,
education, and the arts for youth/families; provided capacity building and
technical assistance to 100+ nonprofit grantee partners; built the board’s
professionalism including recruitment and assessment; engaged the next
generations in their leadership development; and provided strategic direction
on grantmaking and grantee outreach and community partnership initiatives.
Sharmila has held leadership roles on several boards and committees
involving issues of women and children, immigrant communities, education
and public health, and building philanthropic leadership and the capacity of
the nonprofit sector including currently the Healthy Schools Campaign,
National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers (Disability Inclusion
Workgroup and DEI Taskforce), 21/64 Certified Advisors of Color Project,
TrueChild, and the South Asian Philanthropy Project; and previously
Chicago Foundation for Women, National Center for Family Philanthropy,
Exponent Philanthropy, Allow Good, and the South Asian Public Health
Association among others. She is also an alum of the Council on Foundations
Career Pathways leadership development program, a selective pipeline
expansion opportunity for diverse philanthropic professionals; The Funders
Network for Smart Growth and Equity PLACES fellowship; and several
training programs in racial equity, diversity, & inclusion.
A native New Yorker, Sharmila relocated back to Staten Island, NY in 2016
after spending 17 years in Chicago. She holds a Master of Public Health from
the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, a Master of
Public Administration from the Columbia University School of International
& Public Affairs, and a BA in International Relations from Brown
University.