Geeta Rao Gupta

president, ICRW

Geeta Rao Gupta, PhD, is president of the International Center for Research on Women, or ICRW, a leading global authority on women's role in development, and a passionate advocate for women's empowerment and the protection and fulfillment of women's human rights. She has worked at ICRW as consultant, researcher, and officer since 1988, and has headed the private, non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. since 1997. Rao Gupta is an internationally renowned expert on women and AIDS, and is frequently consulted on issues related to AIDS prevention and women's vulnerability to HIV. She has been recognized for her commitment to quality research, her dedication to educating policy makers and the public on the gender-related aspects of HIV/AIDS, and her abiding commitment and overall contributions to the field. Rao Gupta serves on the advisory boards for the Moriah Fund and the Nike Foundation, has served as an advisor to the UNAIDS Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, and as co-chair of the U.N. Millennium Project's Task Force on promoting gender equality and empowering women. Rao Gupta has a PhD in social psychology from Bangalore University, a master of philosophy degree from the University of Delhi, and both a master's and bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Delhi.