This episode features the High Leverage Practice of What Is with Prasangi (Pras) Ranaweera. Growing up in London with Sri Lankan parents, early on she developed the skill of assessing the reality of her situation and moving forward based on clarity. With a well-traveled life that resulted in her becoming a United States citizen, she shares amazing insights about seeking equality and nuggets of fabulous advice about critical life decisions that affect your lifetime “What Is”.
Pras Ranaweera is a Senior Program Officer with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Washington, DC. She leads the K-12 Place-Based Delivery through the design and execution of $70-90M RFPs to fund partners best positioned to close race- and income-based achievement gaps. Prior to this role, she also worked for the Foundation as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Her entre to the Foundation was as a Contractor on Assignment both in the United Kingdom and Washington, DC.
With a passion for education and the opportunities it creates, Pras’ background includes being a Partner of Academic Strategy for TNTP (non-profit consulting) and Deputy Chief in the Office of Data and Strategy for D.C Public Schools. Pras worked for Interpol in a variety of capacities beginning as a Case Officer and ending as a Principal Business Planning Manager for the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA). She also taught English in Switzerland and Japan.
Pras has a MA in Educational Leadership from Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, CA and an MA in Intelligence & International Security from King’s College, University of London. Her BA in Combined Arts (French, German & English) is from the University of Durham, UK.
