Meena Sonea is the CEO of Aspire Institute, a non-profit co-founded by Harvard Business School Professors Tarun Khanna and Karim Lakhani. The Institute empowers first-generation, low-income college students globally through free online leadership programs designed and delivered by Harvard and world-class educators.
Meena has over thirteen years of experience in academia and the non-profit sector. She works with a diverse team in the US and internationally and has successfully scaled Aspire Institute’s reach to over 200,000 students across 190 countries. Meena has built Aspire’s infrastructure in countries like Brazil, India, and Pakistan.
Before joining Aspire, Meena was the Executive Director of the Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard, where she expanded the endowment, established international outposts, and supported faculty and student’s research in and on South Asia. Her earlier career included roles as a senior designer in architecture and museum design, where she managed projects for visitor centers, wildlife refuges, zoos, and aquariums.
Meena holds a General Management Program degree from Harvard Business School, an M.A. in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, an M. in Architecture from Rice University, a B.A. in Economics and Commerce from the University of Mumbai, and a Diploma in Interior Design from Sophia Polytechnic College, Mumbai. Her diverse background builds on her commitment to education, social impact, and creative learning environments.
