Sanda Balaban

- Cofounder and Director

Sanda is passionate about helping young people connect their interests and beliefs with how they can make a difference, at and beyond the ballot box.  In response to the complex times we're living in, the vulnerability of democracy being demonstrated, and the desire to support young people in being on the front lines of change, she co-founded and directs Next Generation Politics and YVote, aiming to help equip the leaders of tomorrow for roles and responsibilities as citizens shaping a more just world.

Sanda also helms FLIP (Future of Learning and Innovative Programs) Consulting, through which she supports organizations in boosting their efficacy and exploring new programmatic frontiers. She has held leadership roles in education and youth development for over 20 years, in the public sector at the New York City Department of Education, in education philanthropy at the Ford Foundation and the Goldman Sachs Foundation, and in nonprofits including Facing History and Ourselves, the Boston Private Industry Council, and The Teachers Network. Her experiences teaching high school humanities in New York City and Boston deeply inform her thinking. Sanda is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Graduate School of Education.