Chhaya Kolavalli

Chhaya Kolavalli has a diverse work experience in various organizations. Chhaya started their professional career in 2012 as a Local Food Policy Intern at Kansas Rural Center, where they assessed barriers for local food distribution and wrote press releases for local food events. In 2012, they also worked as a Research Assistant at Kenneth Spencer Research Library, interviewing African American WWII veterans to diversify the library's collection.

From 2012 to 2014, Chhaya served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at The University of Kansas, providing support to students. In 2015, they became a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Kentucky, assisting students in research and writing methodologies.

In 2015, Chhaya took on the role of Conference Chair at the Dimensions of Political Ecology Conference, where they planned and hosted a conference on sustainability. Chhaya managed a budget of $42,000 and developed workshops to facilitate discussions between scholars, practitioners, and activists.

In 2016, they joined the University of Kentucky as a Principal Investigator for an NSF-funded project on food insecurity. Chhaya conducted community-engaged research on the utilization of policies addressing food deserts and food insecurity among low-income minority urban residents in Kansas City. Chhaya designed and implemented a mixed-methods research methodology and communicated the findings to stakeholders.

As an Editorial Assistant at Human Organization from 2016 to 2018, they provided support in editing and publishing. In 2018, Chhaya became the Assistant Director at the Center for Equality and Social Justice, where they developed programming and led educational programs on racial inequities in food systems.

Currently, Chhaya is working as a Senior Program Officer - Knowledge Creation & Research at the Kauffman Foundation. Chhaya'sresponsibilities include leading grantmaking initiatives to support diversity and inclusion within the field of entrepreneurship and innovation research. Chhaya manages grant portfolios supporting equity and inclusion in the entrepreneurship researcher pipeline, racial equity in entrepreneurship, and research and practice in Heartland states. Chhaya also develops external partnerships and investments that promote diversity in perspectives and methodologies within entrepreneurship research.

Chhaya Kolavalli's education history includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from The University of Kansas, obtained between 2008 and 2012. They then went on to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Anthropology from the same university, which was completed between 2012 and 2014. Chhaya Kolavalli furthered their education by completing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Anthropology at the University of Kentucky from 2014 to 2018.