An attorney, entrepreneur, investor, photographer, and advisor, Pooja is committed to advancing economic justice by supporting mission-driven businesses, nonprofits, and collective action initiatives that shift power and build community wealth.
In addition to her role at Gilmore Khandhar, Pooja is the Founder of The Marigold Effect, a Just Economy Institute Fellow, a nonprofit board member, and a community loan fund investment committee member.
Pooja’s career is shaped by a deep commitment to dismantling systemic barriers to economic opportunity. She began her legal career as a child welfare attorney, representing families and youth in the foster care system. This work underscored the far-reaching impacts of poverty, racism, and structural inequities—insights that continue to guide her work in law, investment, and advisory roles.
A former small business owner, Pooja co-founded and operated two restaurants, integrating predictable scheduling, profit-sharing, and community engagement into the business model. She has also facilitated entrepreneurship accelerators for returning citizens and served as a special advisor to a major workforce development nonprofit.
With a finance and economics background from Boston College and a law degree from American University Washington College of Law, where she was awarded a social justice scholarship, Pooja has built a career at the intersection of law, finance, and impact-driven entrepreneurship. She has invested in and advised initiatives focused on non-extractive finance, cooperative ownership, social impact real estate, and economic mobility for historically marginalized communities.
Passionate about reimagining financial and business systems, Pooja works to foster long-term, community-centered prosperity through legal strategy, investment, and advocacy.
Photo credit: Danielle Finney