EdRedesign Lab appoints Sonali Nijhawan as Chief Program Officer

The EdRedesign Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) has appointed Sonali Nijhawan as its inaugural Chief Program Officer.

Nijhawan, a longtime partner to EdRedesign through her early leadership in the By All Means initiative and as a By All Means Senior Fellow (2023–2025), brings more than two decades of experience building service leadership and place-based initiatives in communities across the country.

In this new role, Nijhawan will provide strategic leadership and oversight for EdRedesign’s program team and its flagship talent development programs and field-building initiatives, including the Institute for Success Planning, the EdRedesign Fellowship for Cradle-to-Career Partnership Leaders, the By All Means Senior Fellowship Program, and other emerging talent development and field-building initiatives.  

“As we enter our next phase of growth, we are thrilled to welcome Sonali as Chief Program Officer,” said Rob Watson, executive director of EdRedesign. “Sonali brings a rare combination of cross-sector leadership, policy expertise at all levels, and on-the-ground experience leading cradle-to-career place-based initiatives. She has been a trusted partner to EdRedesign for years and is exactly the kind of visionary, community-driven leader we need to strengthen and scale our field-building efforts and nationwide impact.”

Nijhawan’s work with EdRedesign dates back to 2019 when she was serving as executive director of Stockton Service Corps (SSC), a six-year, $12 million, first-of-its-kind cradle-to-career place-based service initiative launched by Stockton, CA Mayor Michael Tubbs to address Stockton’s most critical needs by activating a collaborative of evidence-based national service programs. Nijhawan was the lead for Stockton in EdRedesign’s By All Means Community of Practice, launched a decade ago to learn from communities rethinking systems of education and child development. Top community leadership engaged with EdRedesign on a shared vision to establish Children’s Cabinets and related structures to align efforts across sectors to improve outcomes for their community’s children and families. Nijhawan later rejoined EdRedesign as a By All Means Senior Fellow, contributing to thought leadership and national field-building.  

“Sonali is a nationally respected leader whose work sits at the intersection of public service, education, and innovative community development,” said Paul Reville, founder and faculty director of EdRedesign and former Massachusetts Secretary of Education. “Her leadership in Stockton, combined with her federal and nonprofit experience, will help us deepen our impact in communities and develop the next generation of cradle-to-career leaders. We are delighted to welcome her into this role.”

Nijhawan’s career in public service began in her hometown of Chicago, where she served as an AmeriCorps member with City Year Chicago. Inspired by the students, families, and AmeriCorps community she met in neighborhoods across the country, she went on to join the start-up and founding team of City Year Sacramento, helping launch the organization’s 22nd site with 50 new AmeriCorps members.

In February 2021, she joined the Biden–Harris administration as director of AmeriCorps, becoming the first South Asian woman and AmeriCorps alum to hold that position. In this role, she led one of the nation’s largest service programs, expanding opportunities for Americans to serve their communities. Since 2025, Nijhawan has served as a policy fellow with the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance at Harvard Kennedy School and as a Paul A. Volker Public Service Fellow with the Volker Alliance.

“For years, I’ve had the privilege of supporting young people who want to serve their communities. Through their national service and my own, I’ve seen how the answers to our biggest challenges come from the people who live and work closest to them,” said Nijhawan. “That’s why I’m excited to join EdRedesign. I want more people to see cross-sector, place-based work as a path to civic leadership and service, and I want the people already doing this work to have the support, connections, and opportunities they need to take it further. EdRedesign believes that communities and their leaders are the experts in their own futures. I’m looking forward to continuing to build EdRedesign as a place where these leaders can learn from one another, grow their skills, and see themselves at Harvard.”