Deepa Anant

Deepa was a Global Innovation Fellow with the START Center for the 2024-2025 school year. She earned her MBA from the Foster School of Business, along with a concurrent MPA degree from the Evans School of Public Policy, with a concentration in Nonprofit Management and Social Innovation. Before graduate school, she spent seven years working in procurement and operations for American Airlines and Apple. There, she established product cost evaluation processes, developed key terms agreements, and designed financial data collection frameworks for managing cross-functional partnerships. Deepa currently volunteers with the Seattle Public Schools, where she tutors students in math.

Deepa managed two of the four projects she worked on during her time with START. Below are highlights from two of the projects Deepa worked on:

• Climate Change Adaptation & Public Health: The START team analyzed policy priorities related to climate change adaptation and human health. They did this for a select group of implementing and funding organizations, as well as specific countries, by reviewing publicly available information. They presented key findings on investments, in-country programs, and the overall landscape to the Global Development Division at the Gates Foundation. They also provided recommendations on how the Foundation can collaborate and align its efforts in the climate and health sector.
• Financing & expenditure assessment GHI flows, Phase 1: The START team conducted a comprehensive analysis of budget execution and fund absorption for two major global health initiatives (GHIs): the Global Fund (GFATM) and the Global Financing Facility (GFF). This assessment aimed to evaluate spending efficiency and identify barriers to optimal resource utilization in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Senegal.

Deepa currently works as a Consultant with Gartner.