Vishakha N. Desai is president of Asia Society, a global organization dedicated to preparing Asians and Americans for a shared future, where she leads the institution’s activities in the areas of policy, business, arts, culture, and education. She is a frequent commentator in the media, addressing cultural, social and political trends and their implications for the U.S.-Asia relationship and Asian regional ties.

Appointed president in 2004, Desai is leading an institutional expansion that includes the new India Centre in Mumbai, which opened in 2006, and planned multimillion-dollar facilities in Hong King and Houston. A scholar of classical Indian art, she is widely recognized for conceiving innovative exhibitions of contemporary and traditional Asian art and cutting-edge Asian American programming. Desai serves on the boards of The Brookings Institution, Citizens Committee for New York City, Asian University for Women, and the New York City Advisory Commission for Cultural Affairs.