Maya Ajmera
President and CEO, Society for Science
Maya Ajmera is the President and CEO of Society for Science and Publisher of Science News. Founded in 1921, the Society is best known for its award-winning journalism and world-class science research competitions, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and Broadcom MASTERS.
Maya founded The Global Fund for Children (GFC), a non-profit organization that invests in innovative, community-based organizations working with some of the world’s most vulnerable children and youth. Under Maya’s 18 years of leadership, GFC grew into one of the largest networks of grassroots organizations working on behalf of vulnerable children. To date, GFC has awarded nearly $50M to over 700 grassroots organizations in 80 countries, touching the lives of nearly 11M children.
Maya has held several academic appointments at Duke University and Johns Hopkins University. Currently, she teaches a course on social innovation at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. Maya is an award-winning children’s book author of over 20 titles, with over 5M readers worldwide. She also serves on numerous boards including Echoing Green, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Foundation, and Sibley Memorial Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Maya lives in Washington, DC with her husband and daughter.
