OONA CHATTERJEE

Founder Make the Road by Walking

Oona serves as Chief of Staff at the Center for Popular Democracy, a national network of community organizing groups.  She came to CPD in 2014 after serving for 2 years as the Associate Director of New York City Organizing at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. In that role, she worked with AISR’s New York City team and partner organizations throughout the city to support parent and student organizing efforts to advance school reform. Prior to working at AISR, Oona served for fifteen years as Co-Executive Director of Make the Road New York, an organization which she co-founded and which is one of the most respected and effective organizing groups in the country.

Make the Road New York is a core partner of CPD. Oona’s work at MRNY included participating in the design, creation, and ongoing support of two small public schools, building vital student and parent organizing programs within the organization, and playing an important role in the founding of citywide and national youth organizing coalitions to advance school reform.

Oona was a long-time board member and former Board Chair of the North Star Fund, a progressive NYC-based foundation, and has been the recipient of several fellowships and awards including the Reebok Human Rights Award, and the Brick Award.  She is a graduate of Yale University and New York University Law School.