Nitya Venkateswaran

About Nitya Venkateswaran

I am a senior manager in RTI’s Transformative Research Unit for Equity (TRUE), leading its Equity Capacity Building Hub that facilitates leadership in equity-centered and culturally responsive methods by transforming research and community engagement practices through training and mentorship. I have numerous publications on equity-centered and culturally responsive methodologies. I have more than 10 years of experience researching and evaluating educational initiatives and programs using qualitative methods, such as dismantling systems to improve post-secondary access and persistence for students furthest from educational justice and increasing equitable community-family-school partnerships for student success. I work with a wide range of clients, such as non-profit, state, and foundation partners, to support continuous improvement in order to make systems more equitable. Within TRUE, I build RTI’s capacity to implement culturally responsive and equitable evaluation methods across the institute. I lead TRUE’s Equity Training, developing and implementing professional development for RTI staff to use an equity lens in their research work. I provide consultation with various RTI staff across the institute on project and proposals to embed an equity perspective.

Experience

1. Senior Manager, Equity Capacity Building Hub, Transformative Research Unit for Equity

   RTI International

   Feb 2023 — Present

Education

• University of California, Berkeley

  A.B., Political Science

  1994 — 1998

• University of Washington

  M.Ed, Education, Organizations and Policy

  2008 — 2010

• University of Washington

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

  2010 — 2015