Dr. Urvashi Sahni

CEO & President of Study Hall Education Foundation, India, Mona Advisory Board member

Panel member: Seattle, Portland, LA, SD, DC

Dr. Urvashi Sahni is a remarkable social entrepreneur, educator, and activist who has dedicated over three decades to transforming education.  Dr. Sahni founded the Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF), a nonprofit organization committed to providing quality schooling for underprivileged girls and youth in India. SHEF’s impact extends to over 100,000 teachers and 5,000,000 children, with a special focus on empowering girls from disadvantaged communities.  Her book “Reaching for the Sky: Empowering Girls through Education” (published by Brookings Institution Press) highlights her commitment to transformative education.

As an Ashoka Fellow since 2010, Dr. Sahni has championed innovative solutions in education.  She serves as a non-resident fellow at the Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution (USA). In 2024, she became an Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) Fellow at Harvard University.  Her work spans curriculum design, teacher training, and education governance, emphasizing gender equality and girls’ education.

Dr. Sahni received the HAAS International Award in 2001 for her significant work in India. In 2017, she was honored as the Social Entrepreneur of the Year India by the Schwab-Jubilant Bhartiya Foundation. She co-created Catalyst 2030, a global network of social entrepreneurs.  Dr. Sahni actively advises on education policy, including serving on committees for the National Education Policy of India and gender policy revision.