Advisory Committee
Our advisory committee is a diverse roster of elected officials and former candidates across the country. This committee provides endorsed candidates with support, mentorship and a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to run as a mama.
Reshma Saujani is the Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, the nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a computer programmer looks like and does. She is the author of three books, including the forthcoming Brave, Not Perfect, scheduled for release in February 2019, New York Times bestseller Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World, and Women Who Don’t Wait In Line. Reshma’s TED talk, “Teach girls, bravery not perfection,” has more than four million views and has sparked a worldwide conversation about how we’re raising our girls.
Reshma began her career as an attorney and activist. In 2010, she surged onto the political scene as the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress. During the race, Reshma visited local schools and saw the gender gap in computing classes firsthand, which led her to start Girls Who Code. She has also served as Deputy Public Advocate for New York City and ran a campaign for Public Advocate in 2013 on a platform of creating opportunity for all.
Through its 7-week Summer Immersion Program, 2-week specialized Campus Program, after school Clubs, Girls Who Code is leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. By the end of the 2018 academic year, Girls Who Code will have reached over 90,000 girls across all 50 states, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Girls Who Code alumni are choosing to major in CS and related fields at a rate 15 times the U.S. national average.
Reshma is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and Yale Law School. Her work on behalf of young women has earned her broad recognition on lists including: Fortune World’s Greatest Leaders; Fortune 40 Under 40; WSJ Magazine Innovator of the Year; Forbes Most Powerful Women Changing the World; Fast Company 100 Most Creative People; and Crain’s New York 40 Under 40, among others. She is the winner of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education.
Reshma serves on the Board of Overseers for the International Rescue Committee, which provides aid to refugees and those impacted by humanitarian crises, and She Should Run, which seeks to increase the number of women in public leadership. In addition, she serves as an ex-officio Trustee of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Reshma lives in New York City with her husband, Nihal, their son, Shaan, and their bulldog, Stanley.