Smita Tatewar

Harvard University’s Aspire Leaders Program globally recognized Smita as a top 3% finalist and Ambassador, anchoring her profile in world-class leadership and strategic execution. An alumna of SPJIMR with a Post Graduate Programme in Development Management, she operates with deep expertise in program strategy, corporate fundraising, and high-level institutional partnerships.

As the Co-Founder and Director of the Eklavya India Foundation, Smita has scaled organizational initiatives to impact over 1,000 first-generation learners across India, successfully enabling 500 marginalized students to secure admissions with fully funded scholarships across 100+ premier institutions. Her track record cuts straight through traditional age and institutional barriers—from being elected as a rural Village Council Vice President (Upsarpanch) at just 22 years old, to engineering digital financial inclusion as an SBI Youth for India Fellow, and driving gender and mental health equity through the TRD-CREA Fellowship.

At her core, Smita is a first-generation graduate hailing from a Nomadic Community in the rural part of the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. Deeply rooted in her shared history and driven by a mission to uplift her community, she is here to provide high-impact 1-on-1 mentoring, empathetic counseling, and absolute structural clarity to help driven youth explore ambitious career pathways and make decisive professional leaps.