Sonia Karkare

Sonia Karkare is an Asian immigrant woman in STEM who has broken various barriers, successfully taken on “first-of-their kind” roles in her career choices and navigated unchartered professional waters across three different continents(US, Europe and Africa). She is a lifelong humanitarian and DEI advocate who strives to achieve justice and equality in the sphere of her context and circumstances, both professionally and personally.

Sonia is passionate and concerned about the impacts of organizational culture and leadership styles on immigrant women leaders in the workplace. She also believes in the power of digital transformation and innovation and how they can have a revolutionary social impact. She has dedicated nearly two decades of her professional career to the humanitarian and nonprofit sector, serving organizations across the globe. She is a tenacious advocate for access to education and the presence of women and girls in STEM and leadership roles in the workplace. She was awarded the 2021 “Hidden Figures” Award for supporting women in technology in the Nonprofit sector by TechFace.ch in Switzerland. She won a team Gold medal for her work on gender equality in her Professional MBA Program in 2021. She is the recipient of the 2023 Alumni Professional Achievement Award from her alma mater Kent State University (KSU).

Ms. Karkare holds a Master of Science Degree in Computer Science from Kent State University, Ohio (USA), and a Professional MBA (Specialization in Humanitarian Innovation), from the Roxbourg Institute of Social Entrepreneurship in Switzerland.

 In her more recent role (until January 2023), Sonia Karkare served as the Director of Digital Transformation for Doctors Without Borders/MSF for the Operational Directorate of West and Central Africa, in the Ivory Coast. This was arguably the first role of its kind in the organization’s history.

Ms. Karkare has the distinction of having served one of the largest nonprofits in the United States (American Red Cross), one of the largest nonprofits globally (The Global Fund), and one of the most iconic nonprofits in the world (Doctors Without Borders/MSF). She has lived and worked on three different continents and made a positive impact within the organizations and the surrounding communities.

She is currently part of the Leadership Team and Program Coordinator at the Kent State Women’s Center and Adjunct Instructor at the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship at KSU. She has designed an online digital badge, on “Digital Transformation in Healthcare”, for professionals. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Interprofessional Leadership at KSU.

Ms. Karkare has actively volunteered with several organizations in various countries across the continents- in India, Africa, the US and Switzerland. Her most recent endeavor is a family project for children with special needs in India, in memory of her niece. It is a special wing for the children of abandoned women called “Anika Bhawan”, in collaboration with an organization called “Mauli Seva Pratishthan”. 

She is trained in Indian classical dance and loves to travel.