Meera Mani is vice president, Families and Communities at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. She joined the Foundation in February 2009 as program officer, and in 2010 assumed responsibility for leading the preschool, after-school and summer enrichment grantmaking.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Meera served as the president of The Clayton Foundation in Denver, Colorado. Under her direction, the foundation focused on operating high-quality programs for children from birth to five-years-old and providing education and professional development opportunities for the early childhood education workforce. Her leadership was instrumental in developing initiatives, organizations and government programs focused on building a comprehensive system of high-quality early care and education in Colorado. Between 1999-2001, Meera also co-founded and led Qualistar Early Learning, a statewide initiative dedicated to improving children’s early learning experiences through the implementation of a quality rating and improvement system.

As a leader Meera, is known for bringing together diverse perspectives and building consensus to co-create solutions for complex social challenges. As a manager she has assembled high functioning teams, created inclusive organizational culture, and worked collaboratively with Trustees, staff, and external stakeholders to achieve success.

Meera has a master’s degree in child development from M.S. University in India and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from Boston University. She is an alum of the Ascend Fellows Program of the Aspen Institute and fellow of the Institute of Educational Leadership. She has served on many boards including The Children’s Institute of Oregon, Colorado Education Initiative, and the Educare of Silicon Valley.