Women Leaders in the Age of COVID-19: The story of Kanika Gandhi

Kanika Gandhi with Bill Hart in Washington, D.C.

As the impacts of COVID-19 sweep through the country, the effects on women and minorities are disproportionately being felt. A study conducted by the American Community Survey found that 77% of health care jobs in the U.S. are held by women, and 53% of critical retail workers are female. During a global health crisis, these jobs are deemed essential and therefore put women on the front lines of the pandemic. 

According to UVM Economist Stephanie Seguino, women are more likely to have low-wage front line jobs and be the primary health care givers and therefore feel the impacts of the virus more than their male counterparts. “We find that women in particular are disproportionately exposed to the virus as a result” Seguino said recently. 

Emerge Vermont alumna Kanika Gandhi agrees. “When it comes to access to care, wages and education...women and minorities are systematically excluded and denied access. In times of crises, this exclusion can only be further highlighted,” she said. In a public health crisis we see the flaws and cracks in our society, and it is during these times that the need for women leadership becomes very clear. 

“Women in positions of power often have a more transformational approach to leadership….When we confront novel situations like the one we currently find ourselves in, being in charge of those that are open to vulnerability and feel secure in expressing opinions is incredibly important.” Kanika’s views come from personal experience. She notes that Governor Phil Scott is “doing a great job dealing with the crises in Vermont,” but that leadership from the White House is falling short of what our country needs. Women focus on how we can fight the virus as a unified group rather than taking the individualistic, every-man for himself approach. “There is no “right answer” right now and women in positions of power are, in my experience, more likely to allow for open dialogue that will lead to the dynamic solutions we need.” Speaking generally, females tend to have more compassion and patience during times of crisis, and it is that level of strategic, considerate decision-making that will eventually get us through this pandemic.

Kanika recalled a recent press conference on COVID-19 that showcased the difference female language can make when conveying the tone of a coordinated and unified response. “State Treasurer Beth Pearce was brought in to discuss some of the economic implications of the pandemic. Unlike her male colleagues, when she received praise, she said ‘Thank you as well, we are a team.’ It is this type of leadership that drives success.” Kanika’s friend and Emerge classmate Molly Gray is currently in the race for Lieutenant Governor. When asked about the most effective solution to the coronavirus crisis, Molly said, “Our response should be guided by the core principle of humanitarian action – humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality. We should provide assistance on the basis of need alone, giving priority to the most urgent cases and making no distinction on the basis of nationality, race, gender, religious belief, class or political opinion.” Kanika put it well when she said that this response “perfectly encapsulates how women make decisions during times of crises—to serve all people because we are only as strong as our weakest link.” 

Kanika’s views on the importance of female leadership were informed by a myriad of experiences and careers in her lifetime. Kanika entered Brown University as a Biomedical Engineering major, a semester abroad in Italy her sophomore year completely opened her eyes to a new path in policy and politics. The town and people of Bologna proved to be very politically engaged, and Kanika’s time there led her to finding new passions: activism and public policy. She listened to her gut and changed her major to a double major in Public Policy and Italian.

After completing her studies in Brown’s undergraduate program, Kanika continued at Brown to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Affairs with a particular attention to food systems and nutrition. Her many passions proved to be beneficial, and she quickly found herself employed by the Federal Trade Commision as a policy specialist in Washington D.C. While her work with federal policy was a great career start, Kanika described the next job she was offered as her “dream job.” Her position at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition in D.C. was a seamless combination of her interests in public policy, activism, and food systems. However, after two years at that job working on the federal Farm Bill, Kanika couldn’t shake the feelings she had for the state of Vermont. Following this instinct, she packed up her things and moved from Washington, D.C. to northern Vermont. She had remote research work lined up with a former professor, and soon after was offered a position as a lobbyist for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). It was through this job when she first got involved with local and statewide politics. Getting exposure to legislative sessions and working with state legislators helped her to learn more about how the system works and the work that’s being done to make Vermont a better place. She was the Clean Energy and Environmental Advocate at VPIRG from 2018 until just two weeks ago, when Kanika started a new job as the State’s Pesticide Program Director at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture (VAAFM). Kanika said the following about how she leads with example in her new role for the state. “I put faith in those that have been doing their jobs for years, that, in turn allows those who I am supervising to but faith in me, and that type of reciprocity is crucial for good leaders.” With a passion for farming and agriculture, Kanika is ecstatic to work with Vermont farmers and be a representative in regulatory and legislative work. 

Emerge is a nonprofit organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office. Their goal is to increase female representation and empower women to step into elected positions. Across the country, Emerge America alumnae hold over 700 positions in local, state, and federal offices.  

Kanika is a graduate of Emerge Vermont’s 2020 signature program. The Emerge network has helped her make connections with women across the state which she says will prove to be an invaluable support system when she eventually runs for a statewide position. This pandemic will some day pass, but Kanika says that its effects on how we view the world will not soon be forgotten.  “This COVID crisis has created an entire feminine shift. We’re seeing a focus on looking inward and moving at a pace that is consistent with the Earth, not to steal from its future as consumerism and capitalism rewards us for doing. We are being forced to ask what brings us joy, what matters to us most, and how we can give care to those truly in need. These skill sets are deeply attributed to the feminine. Traits such as valuing emotional intelligence, seeking collaboration instead of competition, and aiming to live in a world that is linked, and not ranked.”

This piece was produced in collaboration with EMERGE Vermont. Lindsay Williams served as an intern at Emerge Vermont in the spring of 2020.