Niyati Shah (she/her)

Niyati Shah (she, her) has over 25 years of experience addressing structural inequalities and systemic oppression and is a practitioner and teacher of embodied and trauma-centered approaches to healing and wellbeing. Niyati also has a background as a producer and writer in documentary film and television and storytelling. Over the last decade, Niyati has been working to expand attention to the importance of including and resourcing collective care and wellbeing as a core element of addressing gender-based violence and advancing gender equality in international development. She has led numerous workshops, training and learning experiences, and retreats domestically and internationally and continues to evolve her work with fellow practitioners, movement builders, and advocates. In addition to her work in international development at the World Bank and USAID, Niyati has also worked as a producer at Discovery Channel working across various channels/genres domestically and internationally. She was recognized and awarded the Women of Vision Randy Goldman Scholarship from Women in Film and Video (WIFV) for exemplifying the qualities of creative excellence, a thirst for knowledge, and the passion for bringing important stories to life through the media experience. Niyati is also actively involved in the DC-area community and serves on the Board of Directors DC SAFE, a leading organization in the movement against domestic violence offering 24/7 crisis intervention services for survivors and their families in Washington, DC. She previously served on the Board of Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP) and is still involved as a volunteer supporting local efforts to support the diverse Asian/Pacific Islander community in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.