Meet Karnika Iyengar
Career development, civic engagement, higher education, and youth and female empowerment are Karnika’s greatest passions. Karnika co-founded one of the nation’s largest paid public service internship programs when she worked at David Axelrod’s Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, providing over a thousand internships to students and advising hundreds of students and young professionals. She worked with over 400 domestic and international nonprofit, governmental, business, social justice, and cultural organizations (like the State Department, CNN, HuffPost, the White House, and the United Nations to name a few) to create substantive, paid internship opportunities for college and graduate students. Karnika also developed mentorship programs, coordinated international trips, and hosted career conversations with renowned public servants, government officials, political operatives, and practitioners.
At 29, Karnika became the Executive Director of a 501(c)(3) headquartered in Chicago that serves girls ages 14-21 who identify as refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers by providing them with mentors, tutoring and educational resources, and safe spaces.
She has worked in a number of other sectors, including law and tech, and has extensive fundraising experience. In 2020, Karnika was appointed to the City of Chicago Women’s Advisory Council. She completed her MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2018, specializing in entrepreneurship, managerial and organizational behavior, and strategic management. She graduated with Honors from the University of Chicago in 2011 and holds a BA in Political Science.
For the last ten years, Karnika has had the privilege of working in a number of roles across industries. Her goal is to use her experience and relationships to provide guidance to individuals and organizations looking to achieve fulfillment, success, and joy as they achieve their missions.
Connect with Karnika on LinkedIn.
Education
MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
BA, University of Chicago
Topics
Career development, civic engagement, youth advocacy, youth development, female empowerment, women’s and girls’ issues, and refugee and immigrant issues (Please use the “Contact” page if you are interested in reaching out regarding a speaking engagement.)
Honors & Awards
- Selected as one of 15 women appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to serve on the City of Chicago Advisory Council on Women for a three-year term
- Selected as a featured leader for Apple’s international She Creates Campaign (speaking engagement at Apple Michigan Avenue postponed due to COVID-19)
- Featured speaker for David Axelrod’s University of Chicago Institute of Politics’ Speaker Series
- Featured on Everyday Superhumans Podcast, which highlights leaders and organizations in Austin, TX that are doing impactful work in the community
- Panelist for Gender-Based Violence Issues event for Chicago Sister Cities International Global Youth Ambassadors Leadership Summit 2020
- Featured speaker for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business’ Rustandy Center Advisory Council Convening
- Selected for Alumni Spotlight feature by University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- Invited to speak at multiple firms and corporations for International Women’s Day (including FTI Consulting and CIBC Bank)
- Selected as featured speaker for Sparks Marketing Corporation’s Conference event, Women in Events x GirlForward (speaking engagement at McCormick Place postponed due to COVID-19)
"Hira" means diamond in Sanskrit. Diamonds are a meaningful symbol of strength, beauty, and, most of all, tenacity, as they are formed under immense pressure.
Additional Support for Women and Minorities
As a woman of color who has experience in law, business, higher education, politics, tech, and non-profits, I have experienced many situations in which I was the only woman in the room and even more in which I was the only woman of color. I have seen well-intentioned people create policies or procedures that did not reflect female-identified voices, and I have also experienced women and people of color being purposely excluded from opportunities for advancement.
Throughout my career, I have not only strived to be included at the table but also worked to invite other underrepresented individuals to join me and to have their voices elevated. If you or someone you know is interested in working with Hira but does not have the financial resources to do so, please contact us directly via the Contact page. I offer a number of pro-bono services for women and underrepresented minorities.
No one should be left behind due to a lack of financial resources.