Leadership Salon: Aradhna Dhanda

It’s a lovely irony that throughout her life, Aradhna Dhanda profoundly hated everything that brought her here – at least at first. English. Education. Even Pittsburgh. (Her famous quip, about which she laughs today, is “I came here kicking and screaming.”)

Despite all her initial distaste, Dhanda has thrived in this country. Especially in Pittsburgh, where in a mere eight years she’s conquered the non-profit, foundation, and leadership worlds. It’s a rare journey, not merely of thousands of miles across the globe, and between variant cultures, but also from Indian subservience to American leadership.

Her story begins in Rewa, Central India, where Aradhna Malhotra Dhanda was born the daughter of a homemaker and a civil engineer who worked on major dam projects. The child of wealth and privilege, she had chauffeurs driving her to school, servants caring for her needs. “I never had to make my bed,” she recalls. Her shoes were shined, her dishes were cleared. “It was a very luxurious lifestyle,” she says. “But it was a controlled life.”

Describing her mother as “an all-rounder,” an athlete, violinist, dancer, and artist, she gave it all up to marry. “My father worked and took care of his family,” Dhanda recalls. “My mother made it easy for him. That was the role she chose.”

But it wasn’t going to be the same for Aradhna, the youngest of three children, younger than her sickly brother, who died at age 32. “In India at those times,” she says, “a male was all that you lived for.” Her parents wanted another son; they got her. “My family’s attention was my brother,” she remembers. “It bothered me.”

Nevertheless, “for my mother it was very important that I got on education. She saw the potential in me.” Although Dhanda grew up speaking Hindi, at age 10 she was sent to a convent school to learn English – her third language, after Hindi and Punjabi. Rebellious, disinterested, “my mother kept pushing me,” Dhanda says.

Enrolling at Nutan (Hindi for new) Girls College, University of Bhopal, the characteristically high-achieving Dhanda earned both a B.A. and M.A. in psychology. Engaged at 20, by 21 she was married and whisked off to America, to Rutgers, where she earned an MBA and enrolled in a Ph.D. program in organizational development, specializing in industrial psychology.

The Next Chapter
Living in the East, having two sons (now teens, Kash and Brij “are the loves of my life,” she smiles), she was a wife, mother, and, after a bit, the executive director of a small arts group.

Then came the new century and a new town, Pittsburgh. “I cried the first year,” she recalls.

Planning for a three-year Midwest rotation, then back to the Right – as in Correct – Coast, Dhanda became the Children’s Festival Chorus executive director. Quickly establishing the pattern she has followed since, she created -- and implemented -- the organization’s strategic plan.

Garnering kudos, a scant two years later Dhanda was tapped by The Forbes Funds to serve as a program officer. Leading grantmaking activities designed to enhance management for human service and community development organizations, Dhanda felt right at home. “I just loved it,” she says.
 
Getting involved in community development activities, it was impossible to keep her light under a bushel. Having taken the Leadership Pittsburgh course, having accepted a spot on the board, Dhanda wound up being asked to head the place. “I didn’t want to at first,” she recalls demurring. “I was having such a good time giving away other people’s money. But Leadership Pittsburgh was the right fit.”

For their part, Leadership Pittsburgh needed someone who knew the for-profit and non-profit sectors, their mindsets and their needs – as well as how to manage a budget. “I am soft-hearted,” Dhandha allows, “and I am mission-driven. But I also look at numbers. I have a very hard business head.”

Perfect.

“The match was there,” Dhanda agrees. In late 2004 she “became President and CEO, the ambassador for the organization. Leadership Pittsburgh changed my outlook on the role of a community leader,” Dhanda, says, “in the sense that I could make a difference. I had the opportunity to work with smart people who are eager to learn, eager to share on every issue of importance to the region.”

Apparently, the feeling is mutual, witness the Dhanda Chorus of Friends, who attest to her leadership qualities.

The Buzz on Aradhna
“Aradhna’s a leader who wants to get all the information together,” comments Yvonne Campos, president of Campos Market Research. “She gets input and insight, wants to make a decision, and move forward.” Campos pauses. “Aradhna likes to get things done. That’s what I like about her.”

Adds Harry Edelman IV, of Heyl Patterson Technologies, “I’m very impressed with Aradhna. She’s vibrant and enthusiastic. She’s persuasive,” he adds, “but she has to be.”

“I think the world of her,” says FAST-CAT president Ray Steeb. “She’s very good at bringing people together and getting them to common ground. That’s something that good leaders do. Aradhna understands what needs to occur and can devise a way to make it happen. She can keep an eclectic group of people focused on issues.”

In the World According to Dhanda, what is leadership? Here are some Aradhna Aphorisms:

“Leadership is a verb. A title doesn’t make you a leader. It’s what you do.”

“Leadership begins with ownership of yourself and your vision.”

“Leadership is not being bound by others’ definitions of you.”

“Leadership is crafting a vision that others can buy into.”

“Leadership is making things happen.”

“Leadership is being able to relate to people, to be firm in your beliefs, and be genuine.”

“Leadership can be developed. Everyone has leadership capacity. People need the circumstances – mentors, coaches, luck – that make them recognize their potential.”

“What we do in the next five years will define Pittsburgh,” she adds. “I see so much happening. Leadership in various areas is willing to talk. That’s where change is going to happen.”

She gestures out her window at Downtown. “I like living in a place that’s got possibilities.”

Aradhna Dhanda will appear at the Leadership Salon on July 14th. For details and to sign up click here.

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Abby Mendelson’s latest book, Ghost Dancer, a collection of short stories, is available at amazon and bn.com.

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All photographs copyright Brian Cohen