Sameeksha Desai Director of Special Projects and Advisory, Knowledge Creation and Research, Entrepreneurship Sameeksha Desai is the director of special projects and advisory, knowledge creation and research in Entrepreneurship at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she embodies strategic and visionary leadership by anticipating trends and identifying patterns in data and evidence to shape the Foundation’s entrepreneurship strategy. Desai leads the design and implementation of the Foundation’s research-based thought leadership strategy in entrepreneurship, identifies knowledge gaps that must be closed in order to advance entrepreneurship and conducts actionable and practical research that can inform programmatic strategies. Concurrently to working for the Kauffman Foundation, Desai is on leave from her position as a tenured associate professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, where she teaches and conducts research related to entrepreneurship, economic development and public policy. She is also an editor of Small Business Economics and an affiliate at the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum in Stockholm, Sweden. She has been a consultant for the World Bank Group, a co-chair of the Transatlantic Policy Consortium and a visiting scholar for the Kauffman Foundation. Desai earned a Doctor of Philosophy in public policy from George Mason University, a Master of Science in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Northwestern University. Recent Activity Research Economic Engagement of Mothers: Entrepreneurship, Employment, and the Motherhood Wage Penalty Research How Does COVID-19 Affect Challenges Facing Entrepreneurs? Trends by Business Age Research Who Doesn't Start a Business in America? A Look at Pre-Entrepreneurship Leavers Research How has COVID-19 Changed Challenges for Entrepreneurs: Implications for Entrepreneurship Support Research Fewer New Businesses Have Become Employers Research Student Loans and Entrepreneurship: An Overview Research Business Owner Perceptions of COVID-19 Effects on the Business: Preliminary Findings Research Early-Stage Entrepreneurship: Some Key Indicators and a Summary Index Research Challenges Along the Entrepreneurial Journey: Considerations for Entrepreneurship Supporters Currents Kauffman Knowledge Challenge casts wide net in call for projects