Sharmila Lawrence, MIA

Executive Vice President

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.