Rajani Menon

I came to the United States as an immigrant from India and have worked across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. After earning my MBA from the University of Kentucky in 2000, I was recruited by Duke Energy and worked there as an executive for 10 years. I then took four years off to be present for my son during his high school years as an athlete. When I returned to work, I entered the nonprofit sector at the Free Store Food Bank doing community relations and advocacy. From there, I worked for the United States Senate in Senator Sherrod Brown's Cincinnati office for over three years, including through COVID. Now, for the past three and a half years, I have been at the Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation running the Appointed civic leadership program. When I arrived, there was just a small shell of a program, but I completely revamped and built it into something with over 2,000 participants across two states. The program has won several awards and prepares community members to serve on civic boards, giving everyone a voice in government decisions. This work is rooted in democracy and the belief that every person, regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender, has the right to a seat at the table.