Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist
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Samyuktha Punthambekar is a versatile, and an award winning and certified, Ottawa based professional Bharatanatyam dancer, dance educator, writer, mentor, arts administrator, EDIP and HR Consultant/ Strategist. She currently works as a Project Analyst - Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives at the City of Kingston.
After graduating from the world renowned Kalakshetra Foundation in India, she has performed and worked internationally. Since moving to Canada in 2011, Samyuktha has performed, worked, and contributed towards several reputed projects with reputable organizations in Toronto. In 2017, she started an arts administration company Infinite Arts Projects (IAP) specializing in equity consultation and arts research.
She further developed her keen sense of leadership in cultural policies through leadership programs with the Banff Centre. Upon moving to Ottawa in 2020, Samyuktha founded Kalasadhana Dance Company (KDC) which emphasizes the role of the arts in addressing social justice and socio-political issues.
More specifically, in the equity and inclusion area, she has extensive experience in facilitation, engaging equity seeking groups, redrafting policies, and setting up Boards from the ground up, keeping in mind an inclusion and pluralistic lens. She has also been instrumental in spearheading plans to raise awareness, facilitate open, honest and direct race-based conversations between the staff, leadership and board, along with working on a Cultural Competency training program for the staff and board.
As an arts advocate, she continues to champion for equity and pluralism specifically at board and leadership levels in organizations. Her current focus is towards establishing an HR system within the arts. Samyuktha's latest article on EDIP is called 'Why I left Toronto' and 'Confined by the Calendar' with The Dance Current Jan, 2021 Issue - Canada's leading dance magazine, is certainly worth a read!
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Professional
BA - Economics - Bangalore University
