Lakshmi Rao Sankar is the Executive Director of CrimsonRise. She is a certified S2C Practitioner who has worked with a diverse range of spellers through her private practice and as a featured faculty at day programs. She has worked alongside spellers to co-found CrimsonRise. Lakshmi has also led strategic initiatives for nonprofits serving neurodivergent people, partnering with board leadership and executive management. ,
Lakshmi has been a member of the Leadership Cadre at the International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC) since its inception. She has brought leadership to an international community engaged in communication access for the neurodiverse. She has led professional S2C training cohorts, and provided S2C practitioners in training with mentorship and guidance on core S2C principles and organization building. She is also a co-facilitator for the I-ASC Spellers & Allies Advocacy Network, providing partnership to spellers in their movement to gain autonomy, access and agency.
Lakshmi was named one of Staten Island's most influential women’s business leaders in 2023.
In addition to her work with spellers, Lakshmi is a partner and co-founder of Teamqore, where she consults with nonprofits in the areas of governance, strategic planning and development. Through this work, she has partnered with a range of nonprofit organizations that aim to advance neurodiversity, gender justice and environmental causes. She has also served in leadership capacities on the boards of Sakhi For South Asian Women, The Eden II Programs, Foundation for the Advancement of Autistic Persons and On Your Mark.
Lakshmi has an MA in Sociology and an MBA in Human Resource Management. She loves to hike and travel with her family, and is an avid gardener. Her most favorite things to do include teaching curriculum based studies to spellers, and reading historical romances by Georgette Heyer.
Lakshmi is mom to Tejas Rao Sankar, a speller and advocate for autistics like himself.
