Bindiya Patel (she/her), Executive Director

As Executive Director, Bindiya Patel is responsible for ensuring that the organization cultivates, inspires, connects and engages an effective community of leaders. Bindiya has over two decades of leadership experience at equity-focused nonprofit organizations where she has worked toward her lifelong mission to support women and people of color to lead healthy lives and develop their leadership skills.

Bindiya spent 19 years serving in several roles at PATH, a global health nonprofit based in Seattle. Most recently, she oversaw strategy and operations as Managing Director of PATH’s largest division. She also created and implemented an innovative approach to center equity in all of the organization’s programming. Earlier in her career, she led advocacy coalitions for new HIV prevention options for women, managed US government-funded projects to fight tuberculosis in Tanzania, and led organizational change across technical and country programs. Prior to PATH, she oversaw child health and nutrition outreach efforts in townships in South Africa and managed grants to rural communities in the United Kingdom.

 In line with LT’s mission, Bindiya also serves part-time as co-director and faculty for Seattle’s Global Leadership Forum, which brings together and develops globally-minded social purpose leaders. She teaches at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, where she serves on their Civic Council for the Executive Master of International Studies.

Bindiya earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Cornell University and a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University. And she is the proud parent of two phenomenal teenage daughters. In her free time these days, Bindiya is learning to draw, reading great fiction (and welcomes suggestions for what to read next), and spending time by the water in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.