Preeti Kulkarni

Preeti Kulkarni is a strategic finance and operations leader with over 25 years of experience serving nonprofit and philanthropic organizations across California. She has held C-suite roles at the ACLU of Southern California, Liberty Hill Foundation, and Connections for Children, managing budgets up to $18 million while guiding organizations through fiscal compliance, union negotiations, and leadership transitions. Beyond finance, Preeti is a longtime human rights advocate. Since 2015, she has served as a Commissioner on the LA County Human Relations Commission, chairing three strategic planning cycles and leading work on hate crime response and police accountability. Her board experience includes a national term with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), where she chaired the Finance Committee through an executive transition. Preeti holds a Master of Accounting from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and History from Duke University.

A trained executive coach and financial educator through the Wally Marks Leadership Institute, Preeti now runs a consulting practice supporting social justice nonprofits on financial strategy and board governance. Her career reflects a consistent belief: that lasting change comes from centering the people closest to the problem, and that sound financial stewardship is what allows movements to endure. Outside of work, Preeti can be found spending time with her family — her husband Rakesh, her 9-year-old daughter Shiny, and their dog Romeo.