Deepak Chopra

I do lots of things... worked with all kinds of organizations. Right now, I'm doing all that under the auspices of my own consulting firm, Cynthesis Consulting, which specializes in public policy research and analysis, program development, strategic planning, marketing, and communications for nonprofit and philanthropic organizations across the country. Clients include New York Cares, Academy for Educational Development, Goldman Sachs Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Campus Compact, and many others.

Recently, I’ve been working with the (Steve and Jean) Case Foundation as a senior advisor and consultant on their civic engagement program. As part of this work, I wrote a publication, "Citizens at the Center: A New Approach to Civic Engagement" which calls on individuals and organizations to go beyond asking people to “plug into” predetermined programs and initiatives and, instead, facilitate and create new civic spaces that encourage deliberation and action around issues/concerns that communities themselves define as important for the “common good.” The paper (www.casefoundation.org/citizens) has been the focus of several conference panels and events and also was the catalyst for a new “open source” approach to philanthropy/grantmaking that involves “real people” in all facets of the decision-making process. This work was featured in the New York Times and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Previously, I was a program officer for Carnegie Corporation of New York where I helped to develop and implement programs in "Strengthening the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector" (focused on enhancing the nonprofit sector's capacity-building and management infrastructure) and "Youth Civic Engagement" (focused on improving K-12 civic learning). As part of those efforts, I authored two publications--From Inspiration to Participation: Strategies for Youth Civic Engagement and The Civic Mission of Schools (co-authored with Peter Levine and that brought together--for the first time--more than 60 diverse leaders representing widely different networks in the civic education field)—that have since become standards for the field, the basis of a national advocacy campaign, and catalysts for new civic education federal regulations.

Earlier, I was an independent consultant on nonprofit and philanthropy strategic planning, research, and communications for a variety of foundations and organizations, including: The Rockefeller Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation, Open Society Institute, Citizens Committee for Children of New York. My first job was monitoring the ultrafundamentalist preachers (Falwell, Robertson, et.al.) for People for the American Way and then using these clips as grist for several videos I made with TV producer (and PFAW founder) Norman Lear that raised millions for the organization.

In addition to speaking and publishing widely on nonprofit strategy, citizenship, education, philanthropy and social policy, I periodically teach at the New School University’s Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy and am also a senior fellow at Tufts University. I’ve served on numerous advisory committees, selection panels and boards, including Nonprofit Quarterly, Public Allies, Idealist.org, The November Fifth Coalition, and Whatgoesaround.org. I have a B.A. in psychology from Pennsylvania State University; an M.S.W. from Catholic University of America; and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. My dissertation focused on nonprofit advocacy, membership, and representation (“In Whose Interest: Do National Nonprofit Advocacy Organizations Represent the Under-Represented?”)

I live in New York, but my favorite place in the world is Maine. Networking is my life.... and I'm often teased about being one of the "yentas" of the sector. And I love the Mets.