Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Shanthi Kalathil is a researcher, adviser and consultant who focuses on the subject of democracy across various countries.
- Smart, professional and hard working, Shanthi loves to keep busy but rarely allows her work to interfere with her family time.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Kalathil was born and raised in the United States.
- Shanthi’s father, James Kalathil, was originally from Kerala, India, but raised in Taipei, and her mother Lucia Tang, is Taiwanese.
- James and Shanthi first met in college in the USA, where they had Shanthi and her younger brother Jayan Kalathil. Both siblings were born and raised in the US. Jayan is a Communications and Marketing professional.
- Shanthi’s dad, James, worked as a college professor in several American colleges. He passed away peacefully at home in January 2018 at the age of 82, with his whole family by his side.
- Lucia’s family had fled from China to Taiwan in 1949.
- Shanthi’s paternal uncle, Pappachan, also lives in the USA and previously worked as the president of Federation of Kerala Associations in North America.
- Although Shanthi hails from California, she currently resides in Washington, D.C.
- Shanthi is married to her husband, Jon Wolfsthal, and has two dogs.
Education : Qualifications, High School & College Info
- Shanthi graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism.
- She also attended the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley).
Career, Job, Salary and Net Worth :
- Shanthi Kalathil has quite an extensive resume, and she has worked both in North America and Asia.
- She spent some time working in Hong Kong as a Wall Street Journal Staff Reporter.
- During her time in Hong Kong, she covered various Chinese and Asian market reforms and wrote several articles about Hong Kong’s political shift to being ruled by the Chinese government. She also covered the 1997 economic crisis in Asia extensively.
- After leaving Hong Kong, Shanthi returned to the United States to join the National Endowment for Democracy as the International Forum for Democratic Studies Senior Director.
- She also joined the US International Development Agency as a Senior Fellow for Democracy and, eventually, the Carnegie International Peace Endowment as an Associate.
- Kalathil also worked for the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) at Georgetown University as a Non-Resident Associate and consulted for other companies in the US, such as the World Bank. While at Georgetown, she gave several lectures on Information Age International Relations.
- Besides being a professor, consultant, and reporter, Shanthi is also a writer who has authored several academic and policy publications, such as Diplomacy, Development, and Security in the Information Age, which was published by the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy in 2013.
- She also wrote an article titled The Impact of the Internet on Authoritarian Rule, which was published by the Carnegie International Peace Endowment in 2003.
- In January of 2021, Kalathil was one of 3 Indian Americans who were chosen by the current US President, Joe Biden, to become part of the National Security Council for the White House.
- Kalathil’s main role in the White House is to be the Human Rights and Democracy Coordinator.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Shanthi speaks fluent Mandarin which she perfected while living in Hong kong.
- When she is not working, Shanthi loves to spend time with her husband and their family dogs.