CONTACT
Katrina Breese
APIA Scholars
kbreese@apiasf.org
202.276.7253
APIA Scholars Hires Julie Ajinkya as Senior Vice President
APIA Scholars hired Julie Ajinkya as Senior Vice President to provide strategic direction to the organization as it builds its research and advocacy agenda.
WASHINGTON, DC (January 27, 2021) –
In a strategic move to broaden its reach and expand college access and success for Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) students from low-income households and communities, APIA Scholars hires Dr. Julie Ajinkya as Senior Vice President to provide strategic direction to the organization and lead its research and advocacy agenda. The daughter of Indian immigrants who migrated to the U.S. to provide more educational and economic opportunities for their family, Ajinkya has been recognized by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one of the Top 35 Women in Higher Education for her work in the area of improved degree completion for underserved populations. Ajinkya brings this knowledge, experience, and leadership in postsecondary equity to APIA Scholars and will report directly to the organization’s President and CEO, Noël Harmon.
Prior to APIA Scholars, Ajinkya was the Vice President of Applied Research at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) and worked at the Center for American Progress (CAP). She also sits on the Advisory Council for Amherst College’s Loeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning, an initiative that creates talent pipelines for the college’s first-generation students and students from low-income households.
“We are honored to have Julie serve in a strategic capacity for APIA Scholars. We believe that we are on the cusp of truly making an impact in the APIA community by empowerment through knowledge and educational experiences. Julie’s expertise will surely advance our work in this area,” said APIA Scholars’ President and CEO, Noël Harmon.
Ajinkya has served as a visiting professor of Government at Cornell University’s campus in Washington, D.C. where she taught courses on race, inequality and public policy. Ajinkya earned her M.A. with distinction and Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Amherst College.
For more information, contact Katrina Breese at kbreese@apiascholars.org.
Based in Washington, D.C., Asian & Pacific Islander American (APIA) Scholars is the nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted to creating opportunities that provide access to higher education and resources that cultivate the academic, personal and professional success of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIAs). These efforts include various development programs, college preparation workshops, and scholarship awards. Since 2003, APIA Scholars has distributed over $150 million in scholarships to deserving APIA students. APIA Scholars manages three scholarship programs: the APIA Scholars General Scholarship, the APIA Scholars Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander – Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Scholarship, and the Gates Millennium Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
