Deshpande, Jaishree

Dr. Jaishree Deshpande, co-founder of the Deshpande Foundation, will receive an honorary doctorate of science degree on Thursday, May 26 in Fredericton. Dr. Deshpande and her husband established the Deshpande Foundation in 1996 as a way to foster social entrepreneurship. The foundation focuses on uplifting rural India by developing scalable, impactful solutions that specifically address micro-entrepreneurship, agriculture, skill development and education, and startups supporting rural India. In a time when our young people need models of hope and examples that demonstrate courage and character, Deshpande stands far above the crowd. What sets her apart is her commitment to effective education and the principle of empowering others to learn and grow and achieve remarkable things. Her extensive acts of philanthropy; including the entrepreneurship centres that she has worked to establish in Massachusetts, India, New Brunswick, and in Ontario, are creating a culture of innovation that is transforming the way we see the world.