MONIKA Kalra VARMA
President & CEO
Monika is the President & CEO of BoardSource, a globally recognized organization dedicated to creating and strengthening governance and leadership systems that enable nonprofit organizations and civil society to fulfill their purpose and missions. For over thirty years, BoardSource has been at the forefront of nonprofit board leadership, research, and support.
Monika brings over twenty dedicated years leading human rights and social justice organizations in the United States and abroad. From 2017-2021, she served as the Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area (LCCRSF), the oldest civil rights institution on the West Coast. Monika and her team partnered with local communities to advance racial, immigrant, and economic rights. She led an organizational transformation at every level. As a result, the LCCRSF’s staff size nearly tripled, the organization’s revenue and budget doubled, and the organizational culture transformed to center staff well-being.
Monika also served as the Director of the Center for Human Rights at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights (RFK Center) where she advanced human rights through partnerships with social movement leaders around the globe. Monika was the Executive Director of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, the largest provider of pro bono legal services in the District of Columbia serving 20,000 individuals, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses, and also served on the D.C. Bar’s executive team. She began her career with the Office of the Prosecutor at the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Monika currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Foundation for System Change.
Monika has dedicated her career to community-centered work, guided by the belief the solutions to the most entrenched human rights and social justice challenges are found in the communities most impacted by those challenges- and a deep commitment to building and creating systems that will one day enable everyone to live out their dreams.