Natalie currently works in the technology industry on the west coast. She was previously at the White House Office of Management and Budget and is a Fulbright Scholar. During her Fulbright, she conducted organic farming research in China and volunteered with the Beijing Farmers Market. Outside of work, Natalie assists with business plan review for Mentor Capital Network, a nonprofit that supports for-profit social entrepreneurs. She also has experience consulting to startups, primarily in the social entrepreneurship space. In addition, she is an avid reader and trail runner. Natalie holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and an MA and BA from Johns Hopkins University and speaks Mandarin and French.
What causes are you most passionate about?
Environmental impact: With the rapid growth in population and in humankind’s footprint, the impact on the environment has been extreme. I believe strongly that there is so much we can do now to begin reducing and reversing that tragic impact.
Educational opportunities: To raise responsible stewards for our planet and leaders for our societies, we must give children the opportunity to learn the tools to problem solve, empathize, and remain determined in the face of challenges. I believe these begin with a strong and compassionate education system.
What do you think some of the most pressing problems we face are?
Climate change, misinformation and propaganda, wealth gap, healthcare crisis
My ideal future world includes…
Basic healthcare for all
Sandesh is a Manager on TikTok’s Strategy team, where he is focused on building and scaling TikTok’s advertising business. Prior to TikTok Sandesh was a Business Operations Manager at Facebook, where he worked on monetization and product strategy for Facebook’s new revenue initiatives. Prior to Facebook, Sandesh worked at Cornerstone Research, an economic consulting firm, where he conducted financial and economic analysis to advise companies (tech, consumer retail, and financial institutions) in high-stakes commercial litigation matters. Outside of work, you can find Sandesh playing basketball and tennis, and volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club in East Palo Alto. Sandesh graduated in 2014 with a degree in Applied Math and Economics from Harvard.
What causes are you most passionate about?
I am most passionate about the education and media spaces because they heavily impact how people learn and consume information. I believe many challenges we face today such as the rise of anti-vaccination or extreme political polarization exist because people are misinformed and/or unable to think critically.
Through Impact, I hope to work on improving the education system, teaching people to rely on facts and evidence when making judgements, making news fair and informative, and encouraging civilized discussion and debate.
What do you think some of the most pressing problems we face are?
Poverty (including food insecurity and homelessness), climate change, ineffective politicians
An impact event/article I recommend is
The article packet we put together on the Future of Work. Technology and automation will drastically change the workforce and the tasks employees do.
