Five Questions With: Vandinika Shukla, Deputy Director of Global Programs, Obama Foundation

Vandinika Shukla has built her career at the intersection of human rights, civic engagement, and technology. She has advised global elections at the United Nations, designed AI-powered dialogue tools at MIT Media Lab, and now shapes global leadership programs at the Obama Foundation.

At every turn, her focus has remained constant: building systems that center equity, amplify underheard voices, and redefine what inclusive leadership really means. For Vandinika, inclusion isn’t about simply checking a box; it’s about redistributing power, reshaping institutions from within, and creating cultures where the lived experiences of women, youth, and marginalized communities aren’t just heard but drive the conversation.

In this powerful Q&A, she shares hard-won insights from bridging grassroots movements and global institutions, the women who shaped her leadership, and what gives her hope about the future of democracy, gender equity, and civic technology.

Across your work at the Obama Foundation, Harvard, and the UN, you have championed more inclusive approaches to democracy and leadership. What does truly inclusive leadership look like to you today?

Inclusive leadership isn’t just about who’s in the room; it’s about who gets to shape the agenda. When representation is narrowly interpreted, especially for young people, it transforms into tokenisation. We need to ask who holds influence, who will be heard in moments of change and conflict in decision-making. This requires building systems that are designed to evolve, where lived experience, new thinking, and diversity of perspective can reshape direction. I spent a lot of time being the youngest in the room and realized that inclusive leadership is not a one-time fix or a checkbox. It’s a long-term commitment to agility, equity, and shared power in how we practice leadership. 

From your experience working at the intersection of technology and democracy, what do you see as the greatest risks and opportunities when it comes to protecting human rights in the digital age?

I think the greatest risk to human rights in the digital age is the concentration of power in the design, deployment, and control of technology. We need to shift from seeing technology as neutral but instead shaping it for public interest, embed protections for human rights, and center the needs of those most vulnerable to harm, particularly women and girls who bear disproportionately high risks that drive them out of public life. Recently, the discourse on technology and democracy was in an early phase where we limited our imagination to electioneering and political propaganda. But we are beginning to witness and understand that AI is not a monolith, and it will influence how we can change the relationship between people and their governments from being clients to citizens with convening power. My work building new participatory AI tools and shaping societal resilience to AI during global elections made clear that there are opportunities for technology-powered constructive dialogue and civic participation. 

Your work bridges the gap between grassroots movements and large institutions. What has it taught you about building trust and common ground across divides, especially at a time when polarization is growing globally?

Being at this unique vantage point between grassroots movements and large institutions, I’ve learned three interconnected critical lessons. Firstly, the most important unit of change making is relationships. Connecting across divides starts at a dining table when we break bread and ask each other their story – where they grew up, what their aspirations are, who they love, and who loved them. This is why some of my most successful work on strengthening pluralistic societies has happened through trusted local influencers who have these grassroots, deep relationships with their communities and consequently can form a constellation of changemakers. When I teach USA Leaders about trust, I always say start with the preachers, local teachers, hairdressers, and bodega shop owners. This is not unlike the vast web of WhatsApp groups across families in India! Secondly, we have to shrink the change and yet keep a view of the forest. We have to start with incremental steps to build trust, and yet map these steps to a long-term strategy. Tactics or actions without a strategy are not enough. And finally, institutions are made of people, and rebuilding trust with institutions requires building people power. People power will make sure our voices are not just heard but valued and, more importantly, consequential to policymaking or structural transformation.

You have long championed gender equity. How have the women and communities around you shaped your leadership journey?

I have been lucky to have two very strong influences in my upbringing in the form of my mother and grandmother. My grandmother’s kitchen table was always open, as was her heart, which taught me to embrace the world with curiosity, joy, and kindness. My mother paired that with showing me what using your voice and having a strong north star on your values can do to foster leadership that is both kind and powerful. So you can imagine that my nightly tea with my mum and grandmother has not only been my source of family recipes or catching up with the day’s happenings, but also a real education in leadership!  

What I saw at home, I have aspired to build outside. I’m fortunate to have a strong crew of intergenerational girlfriends, mentors, and colleagues who remind me of my roots, inspire and challenge me to grow, and remain a continued source of community. 

Looking ahead, what gives you hope about the future of democracy and gender equity? What role do you believe today’s emerging women leaders can play in driving that future forward?

I have worked with thousands of changemakers around the world, and the women leaders among them have a special sauce, which is what gives me hope. They have resilience and perseverance. I think women can drive the future of democracy and gender equity forward by showing up as themselves. We don’t need to mirror any existing model of power or leadership by virtue of positions. We can be nurturing and bold. We can love, call for justice, and still build the power we want to get the change we seek.