Amita Lathigra’s career has spanned jewelry arts, commercial real estate, business development, and education. In her 10 years in education, she has devoted her energy to taking her life’s experiences and turning them into meaningful learning opportunities for children and adults. For the last 5 years, Amita’s primary focus has been developing strong special education programs that serve both staff and students well. She believes in collaborative practices and leads by modeling what she feels is best put forth into the world — self-awareness, diplomacy, and adaptability.

At the Special Education Cooperative, Amita has channeled that methodology into a learning series that taught special education leaders at newly authorized charter schools how to build programs with vision and forward thinking. She also regularly provides individual coaching to school leaders who seek her guidance in staff and program development, and managing overwhelming workloads. Amita sees herself primarily as a change agent — someone who can transform the city’s outcomes for students with disabilities by growing the leaders inside of our schools.