172: You Have Power, Even When You Think You Don’t - Deepa Purushothaman
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172: You Have Power, Even When You Think You Don’t
As Deepa Purushothaman grew up, she always felt different. Being one of a few students of color amongst the 500 in her school in White House Station, New Jersey, she felt challenged to belong. Each summer, Deepa would go to India to visit family, and she didn’t fit in there either, because she was ‘very American’. At home, race was not discussed. She had an inner drive and a competitive spirit, that propelled her through her different-ness. Deepa was the only girl on the boys soccer team. Later, she realized that breaking boundaries and navigating unfamiliar spaces were the paths on which she was to travel.
Deepa went on to earn degrees from Wellesley College, Harvard’s Kennedy School, and the London School of Economics, consecutively. She followed her interests in politics and policy, spending her junior year in Washington, D.C. interning at the White House and the U.S. State Department. Upon graduation, Deepa felt private sector experience was important, so she joined the consulting firm, Deloitte, intending to stay for a few years. Two-plus decades later, Deepa was a senior partner at Deloitte, focusing on women’s leadership and strategies to help women of color navigate corporate structures. She was the first Indian-American woman and one of the youngest people to become a Partner in the firm's history.
Deepa spent many years growing Deloitte's Social Impact Practice and served as the National Managing Principal of Inclusion and the Managing Partner of WIN, Deloitte's renowned Women's Initiative. In these roles, she advised Fortune 100 clients on inclusion strategy and focused on acquiring and retaining diverse talent in the US firm.
Leaving Deloitte in 2020, Deepa co-founded nFormation, a company created for women of color by women of color. nFormation is a membership-based community for professional women of color, offering brave, safe, new space and helping place women of color in C-suite positions and on Boards. Deepa wrote a book, The First, The Few, The Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America, published in March 2022.
In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Deepa’s journey:
Deepa practices what she preaches. She is a founding board member of Avasara, India's first leadership academy exclusively for young women.
She has also served on the Board of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the UN WEP’s Leadership Group.
Deepa is a Women and Public Policy Program Leader in Practice at the Harvard Kennedy School where she concentrates on research to combat systemic racism in corporate structures to help Women of Color rise.
Learn more and connect with Deepa here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepapuru/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/n2formation
https://www.facebook.com/n2formation
https://twitter.com/n2formation
Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.tammygoolerloeb.com/podcasts/ - episode 172
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Prior to establishing her practice, Tammy held a variety of positions in mental health services, higher education administration, public policy analysis and fundraising. Her practical knowledge and experience in organizational development, program management and business operations builds a relatable relationship with clients striving for higher performance results.