Manjula Karamcheti

Manjula joined Barr’s Education team in 2023 as a Program Officer for the Education Program's Catalyze New Models strategy. In this role, Manjula supports partners fueling fresh high school designs that fit local contexts and transform the high school experience so all students can thrive.

Manjula Karamcheti came to Barr from the University of Kansas, where she was a Senior Associate Researcher at the Center for Certification and Competency-Based Education. Prior to that, she was the Director of Equity and Student Support at the High Meadows Graduate School of Teaching and Learning (HMGS), where she led all student support initiatives including advising, counseling services, and the post-graduate mentoring program. Manjula also served as a faculty member, focusing on classroom culture and caregiver engagement, while also coordinating and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all HMGS processes and programs.

For 13 years before transitioning to higher education, Manjula was a counselor, educator, and administrator in diverse public school districts in Massachusetts. Her areas of expertise and passion include promoting equity and access to opportunities for all learners, as well as designing and delivering authentic social-emotional learning and mental health programs.

Manjula earned her B.S. from Colorado State University. She holds an M.Ed. in risk and prevention from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an M.A. in community social psychology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and is a licensed school counselor.

Outside of her professional life, Manjula enjoys spending time with her husband, two kids, and rescue-dog Sweet Caroline. She loves to hike, paddle board, dance, listen to music, and eat ice cream whenever she has the chance.