About Us

“Marga” is a Sanskrit word; a path taken to arrive at a destination; it is an approach to a problem; with an implication of faith and dedication.

We are committed to the “Marga” principles in client projects and internal practice. This list of values includes features that capture the kind of thinking required to create and implement the pathways that will be required to solve today’s complex challenges and lead to new and timely ideas and approaches.

A New York City-based global consulting firm

Marga Incorporated provides strategic advice and research to strengthen various pathways to improve society.  These pathways are manifested in a variety of ways, from philanthropic giving initiatives to creative partnerships that leverage the combined resources of the public and private and nonprofit sectors.  Marga’s clients have spanned a wide range of institutions, from well-established multibillion dollar foundations to grassroots community organizations to federal agencies to Fortune 500 companies and beyond.

Marga is not merely a consulting firm bringing an outside point of view and a set of skills to its client projects. Our mission is to strengthen ways in which resources are harnessed to improve communities and society. In our work, we strive to be:

Innovative
Strategic
Creative
Collaborative

Visionary
Influential
Interdependent

Our History

Founded in 2000 in New York, NY
As Marga’s founder, David Maurrasse was leaving his positions as a Senior Program Advisor at the Rockefeller Foundation and as an Assistant Professor at Yale University, a new hybrid practitioner/scholar role was being developed in the summer of 2000.  Marga was founded on merging theory and practice and maintaining simultaneous ties in academia and in the wider universe of direct and active engagement.

As of July 1, 2000, Maurrasse’s new base became Columbia University, which included a faculty role at the School of International and Public Affairs and the development of the Center for Innovation in Social Responsibility (CISR).  In practice, Maurrasse became an independent consultant with the Rockefeller Foundation as the first official client.

CISR was designed to promote research and dialogue on trends in social responsibility and the various ways in which different institutions and industries engage in communities and address social issues.  On the academic side, CISR hosted conferences and produced a book.  In the meantime, on the practitioner side, the sole proprietorship consulting operation became a company called, DJM & Associates.  It was renamed Marga Incorporated in 2002.

Marga began to build a diverse client base, including mostly foundations.  Eventually, this base broadened to include nonprofit organizations, government agencies, universities, and corporations.  Ultimately, Marga’s work included direct interventions in localities, facilitating the development of strategic multi-institutional partnerships.  We became known for our expertise around the role of institutions of higher education in communities, aided by the Routledge publication of Beyond the Campus: How Colleges and Universities Form Partnerships with their Communities (2001).  

Our People

  • David Maurrasse, PhD

    FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
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  • Sharmila Lawrence, MIA

    EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
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  • Xiania Foster, MA

    SENIOR CONSULTANT
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  • Jason West, MPA

    CONSULTANT
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  • Saliyah George, MPH

    CONSULTANT
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  • Kevin Kim Larson Mohr, MPhil (cantab)

    RESEARCH OFFICER
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  • Mala Coomar, MSc

    RESEARCH OFFICER
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  • Nabila Mehjabeen, MSGA

    RESEARCH ASSISTANT
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  • Sayeda George

    RESEARCH ASSISTANT
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  • Eva Motolinia

    RESEARCH ASSISTANT
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Our Partners

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David Maurrasse, PhD
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT

David Maurrasse

David Maurrasse, PhD - Founder & President

Dr. David Maurrasse is the Founder and President of Marga Incorporated, a consulting firm founded in 2000 providing strategic advice and research to philanthropic initiatives and community partnerships. Marga coordinates the work of the Anchor Institutions Task Force. Dr. Maurrasse serves as the Director of this growing network of over 800 members, which is an action-oriented learning community promoting the engagement of enduring institutions (e.g. universities and medical centers) in community and economic development. Marga also coordinates the Race and Equity in Philanthropy Group (REPG), which engages a cluster of member foundations in strengthening policies and practices on racial equity, diversity, and inclusion.  The California Endowment, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, and the Ford Foundation are among the many foundations which have participated in REPG. Numerous foundations and universities have received assistance from Marga over the years.  Maurrasse is a Senior Fellow at the New World Foundation.  Marga is a member of the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers.  Marga’s work has taken Dr. Maurrasse across the United States, as well as to Asia, Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Since 2000, Dr. Maurrasse has been affiliated with Columbia University, where he currently serves as Adjunct Associate Professor and Adjunct Research Scholar. His periodic course, Strategy, Community Partnerships and Philanthropy exposes Columbia graduate students in the School of International and Public Affairs to emerging trends in creative philanthropic and community development strategies to address critical social issues.  From 1995 to 2000 Dr. Maurrasse was an Assistant Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Yale University, and a Senior Program Advisor at the Rockefeller Foundation from 1998 to 2000. Dr. Maurrasse has published numerous books, including Strategic Public Private Partnerships: Innovation and Development (2013), Listening to Harlem (2006), A Future for Everyone: Innovative Social Responsibility and Community Partnerships (2004), Beyond the Campus: How Colleges and Universities Form Partnerships with Their Communities (2001).  His most recent book project, Philanthropy and Society (2019) will explore how strategic philanthropy can better include the perspectives and participation of grantee communities.  Maurrasse has served on numerous boards, two of which he has chaired. As of 2021, he has sat on the board of SBH Health System. He is currently a Trustee at Bucknell University.  He is a member of the Global Urban Competitiveness Project, which periodically convenes in various parts of the world. Maurrasse has keynoted several conferences, focusing on how to leverage institutional resources to meet pressing social and economic needs.  He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and he holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. For all speaking engagements for Dr. Maurrasse, please contact Marga (margainc@margainc.com). To tune into Dr. Maurrasse’s blog, click here

Sharmila Lawrence, MIA
VICE PRESIDENT, CONSULTING

Sharmila Lawrence

Sharmila Lawrence, MIA - Vice President, Consulting

Sharmila Lawrence has 20 years of experience in project management, research, and program design. She previously served as a Research Associate at the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health coordinating a multi-million dollar federally funded research project on early education. At Marga Inc. she manages the Race and Equity in Philanthropy Group initiative, facilitates and coordinates the programming of the Anchor Institution Task Force’s Health Professionals Subgroup, and oversees research for the Newark Anchor Collaborative’s Signature Program on Racial Equity. Her past research has focused on issues related to early childhood education, welfare reform and child and family well-being, and domestic violence. She is passionate about issues related to race, gender, poverty, and human rights both domestically and internationally. This passion grew out of her experience living and studying in Papua New Guinea, India and the U.S. Sharmila has a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University with a dual concentration in economic and political development, and human rights and humanitarian affairs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of Wooster.

shangchao liu

Shangchao Liu, PhD, MPA, MLitt
RESEARCH OFFICER

Shangchao Liu

Shangchao Liu, PhD, MPA, MLitt - Research Officer

Shangchao Liu is a social scientist specializing in economics and human development. At the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Shangchao constructed and maintained the database of Urban Competitiveness in China and has published several papers and reports on housing, urbanization and talent competitiveness in China. He has held internships at the Brookings Institution in the Metropolitan Policy Program and in the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report Office. Shangchao has a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics and Urbanization from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a Master of Public Administration from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, a Master of Letters in Finance and Management from the University of St. Andrews, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Business Management from the University of Nottingham.

Jason West, MPA
CONSULTANT

Sharmila Lawrence

Jason West, MPA - Consultant

Jason West recently completed a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Development Practice, specializing in Management and Data Analytics and Quantitative Analysis at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. His academic and professional focuses include health, governance, strategic partnerships, and community development. Beyond the classroom, Jason served on the Steering Committee for the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Climate, and Engagement (DEICE) Committee and led the Working Group on Race, Income, Solidarity, and Economics. Jason previously worked as a knowledge and innovation consultant with the Economic Justice Program at Open Society Foundations. He is the former Director of Management at United Against Inequities in Disease, where he oversaw organizational development and advised several UAID chapters in establishing strategic partnerships in order to implement community health initiatives. Jason is a graduate of Princeton University, where he was awarded a B.A. in French Language & Politics and a certificate in Global Health Policy. He hails from the town of DeLand, Florida.