Kavya Shankar

Kavya Shankar is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Trust Neighborhoods, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing community-governed real estate solutions aimed at combating gentrification and displacement. Under her leadership, Trust Neighborhoods employs a model known as the Mixed Income Neighborhood Trust (MINT), which allows communities to invest in their own neighborhoods while maintaining affordability and diversity in housing options.13

Professional Background

Before co-founding Trust Neighborhoods in April 2020, Kavya held several significant roles:

• Program Strategist at the Obama Foundation from April 2017 to July 2018, where she focused on civic engagement and youth empowerment.
• Policy Advisor at the White House's National Economic Council from April 2016 to January 2017, contributing to economic policy development.
• Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company from August 2014 to April 2016, working on local and state economic development projects.24

Education

Kavya holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where she received a certificate in Public Management & Social Innovation. She also earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics, with a secondary field in Psychology, from Harvard University, graduating summa cum laude. Her earlier education includes graduating from Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California.24

Personal Insights

Kavya has lived in eight different cities across the United States, which has enriched her understanding of diverse neighborhoods and their unique challenges. She is committed to fostering equitable communities through her work and is fluent in English and Spanish, with limited proficiency in Tamil.25

Her approach emphasizes community involvement at every stage of development, ensuring that local residents have a voice in shaping their environments.34