Akash Bhalerao Email & Phone Number

Maharashtra, India

Ashoka’s Globalizer programme helps social entrepreneurs develop strategies for scaling their social impact. This 'accelerator' supports selected social entrepreneurs in their work on system impact, connecting them to skilled advisors and high-level thought partners.As a core member of Ashoka’s Globalizer team, Akash along with the rest of the team facilitates the systems change strategy-building process, recruits thought partners ( who are consultants, business leaders and systems change practitioners) to build teams around social entrepreneurs, and designs and orchestrates summits and learning circles for social entrepreneurs and thought partners.

India

EcoFriends Community hosts leadership development opportunities for young people, that involve facilitating environmental awareness projects by collaborating with schools and community organizations to provide volunteer support to the organizations & provide volunteering opportunities for students to learn about societal & environmental challenges like climate change and solutions like the projects the organizations were working on to address them.

Pune Area, India

Pune Area, India

The Enterprise India Fellowship is a program to help college-age students to become entrepreneurial, self-aware and work/life ready by working on projects with local businesses, startups and NGOs, with support from mentors and workshops on different business topics. Through the fellowship, case studies of the impact non-academic progress / co-curriculars / working on projects have on young people are harvested, to help shift the narrative and encourage more co-curricular participation among young people across the country.

Iowa City, Iowa Area

Led campus tours for prospective students, shared personal University of Iowa story and made a compelling case for them to consider pursuing their education at the University of Iowa.

California, United States

Karlskrona, Blekinge County, Sweden

Karlskrona, Blekinge County, Sweden

Poland

• Worked with a team to consult an upcycling company in Poland with business development and planning towards sustainability using The Natural Step Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development; through an MSLS course.• Co-created a visioning workshop, conducted baseline assessment, co-facilitated an ideation workshop to generate ideas to reach the vision, and co-created strategic guidelines and action plan to prioritize and execute ideas.

Blekinge County, Sweden

Tried to start AIESEC chapter at the Blekinge Institute of Technology, but failed in bringing together a core team so ended up giving up

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Worked on 16 outreach campaigns through Salesforce to connect with professionals in different industry sectors, geographic areas, job functions etc., and set up membership/collaboration conversations between SPLC’s Communications Director and representatives from 21 different organizations (businesses, universities, NGO’s, governmental agencies, cities banks etc.).• Participated in conversations with SPLC members like Bloomberg to learn about their challenges and priorities and connected them with appropriate resources or people that could support their transition towards sustainability.• Communicated with government officials from some European countries to gather data about their investments in sustainable public procurement and circular economy, to use as a reference while helping US state governments prioritize sustainable purchasing.

University Of Iowa, Iowa City

• Restarted the Net Impact undergraduate chapter at the University of Iowa, recruited members, and held weekly meetings. • Gathered community support to help the organization move towards financial stability, from a balance of more than -$900.• Worked on developing sustainable leadership for the organization to get back to working on its mission of spreading awareness about the importance of sustainability in business among students in the Tippie College of Business and the University of Iowa.

Iowa City, Iowa Area

•Worked on creating the Clothing Closet at Iowa by collaborating with 11 organizations/departments to help students have access to quality professional clothing at no cost, through peer institution research and a needs assessment, to address affordability, textile waste, social inequality, and sustainability.•Recruited a leadership team of four to lead and sustain the initiative, created an Advisory Committee with partners, and worked with partners to secure a location, and financial resources worth $18,500 as startup costs and $10,000 as annual costs for the Clothing Closet at Iowa.

Petersen Hall, University Of Iowa

• Served as an RA for the Green Adventures Living Learning Community and organized events and activities around self-discovery, getting involved, the importance of sustainability and social events to build, engage and sustain the floor community.• Helped new students with their transition to college by assisting with navigation through academic, social, and mental health issues and encouraged them to be involved on campus.

Iowa City, Iowa Area

Helped more than 100 students a day at the 24x7 operating Mayflower, Hillcrest, Currier, Daum and Burge Front Desks.Available for the safety of 1000 residents whenever needed during work hours, overseeing other operations such as receiving and issuing mail and packages, checking out necessary equipment.

Uisg Iowa Memorial Union

• Worked across different committees (Diversity to Academic Affairs, Sustainability to Internal Affairs), to propose 19 pieces of legislation on the UISG Senate floor revolving around sustainability, student life, and inclusion. • Collaborated with more then 20 other senators to co-sponsor legislation and worked with different Executives in advocating for different student life issues around inclusion, sustainability, and external relations. Recognized as the Senator of the Year for 2016-2017.• Served as the Sustainability Committee Chair for the 2016-2017 term, and managed and empowered other senators on the committee to work on several initiatives around campus sustainability, making it one of the most productive years for UISG’s Sustainability Committee.

Iowa City, Iowa, United States

•Raised $1267 over three years to contribute to special programs to provide emotional and financial support to pediatric oncology and bone marrow patients and their families treated at University of Iowa Children's Hospital.•Danced for 24 hours for the kids at the Final Dance Marathon Big Events in 2016 and 2018.

Iowa City, Iowa Area

Course: The Green Room, taught by Professor Dave Gould, University of Iowa Honor's Program

Iowa City, Iowa Area

• Coordinated with various departments like Athletics, Marketing & Design, Alumni Association, University Foundation, President’s Office, faculty, staff, and student organizations, businesses, city governmental agencies etc. and various contractors to plan, organize, manage, and lead the largest week of events on campus to celebrate being a member of the University of Iowa Community.• Advocated for sustainability and inclusion to be integrated as core values for Homecoming Week.• Managed operations (securing venues, equipment etc.), over saw finances with a budget of over $80,000 and worked on creating a finance tracking system for the organization.• Served as the 2016 Assistant Parade Director for Homecoming and orchestrated one of the largest campus events, facilitated the parade route set up, security arrangements, and day of parade execution, and coordinated with student groups, the City of Iowa City staff, and Police Departments.

Iowa City, Iowa Area

• Organized a monthly lecture series where speakers from different fields and disciplines shared their stories and spoke about different environmental issues that are interdisciplinary and interconnected with many other disciplines.• Invited professionals from Psychology, Geology, Environmental Science, Journalism, Non-profit Management, Marketing, and local businesses to come and speak about the how climate change, human rights, and social justice issues correlate within their fields.

Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Iowa City, Iowa Area

Course- Social Entrepreneurship, taught by Professor Joseph Sulentic, Tippie College of Business

Iowa City, Iowa Area

Interacted with first year students at orientation fairs to get them engaged with having sustainable lifestyles as they were about to start college.

co-led a campaign in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability to develop a sustainability student involvement video as a part of the Sustainability Tippie Impact Competition involving different student organizations and the UI President’s Office.

Spread awareness about climate change through Climate Narrative Project (the special media arts initiative) in the Office of Sustainability designed to reach across academic disciplines and chronicle regenerative approaches to energy, food, water and community planning.

Iowa City, Iowa Area

Course-Climate Change: Most Important Environmental Challenge of 21st Century, taught by Professor Robert Mutel, University of Iowa Department of Physics & Astronomy

Iowa City, Iowa Area

Worked in the Chemistry Teaching Lab Prep Room, preparing required chemicals for chemistry lab courses, disposing more than 20 containers of bio-hazardous waste, and stocking up chemicals and other supplies.

Iowa City, Iowa Area

Participated in research of air and dust sampling and monitoring by making over 700 filters for sampling airCollecting dust and extracting Calcium & Magnesium Ions from the same.Designed a new method for sampling dust and analyzing water soluble ions from the same.Represented the Department of Chemistry at around 5 Outreach events, telling the community about the science behind the stories. Specially Ocean Acidification.Help organize the Outreach events through the Department of Chemistry for the community-especially children.

Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Worked on an e-commerce platform for students in college towns for buying and selling of reused products, pitched the idea to validate it, won $ but failed to continue as was unable to manage complex team dynamics that emerged

Iowa City, Iowa Area

Pune Area, India

Was unanimously elected as the Head Boy by teachers and led the student body(3000 students) of the school, after serving the school as a Prefect(2012-2013) and a Scout Prefect(2011-2012).Prefects are members of the student body, who have duties, led by the Head Boy to lead the school.Helped organize all events from sports to theater, debates to environmental activities and scouting.

Masters, Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability

The masters program helped me understand the importance of taking a systems thinking based and participatory leadership based approach.

Social Entrepreneurship & Environmental Restoration (Interdepartmental Studies)

My purpose of the degree was to take a systems perspective to explore the interdisciplinary nature of Sustainability, in this complex.

K-12, Science (High School)

Activities and Societies: Student Body President (Head Boy) Stage Management Environmental Club Boy Scouts Other school events Founded.