A former White House political appointee who served as a senior advisor on international disability rights in the U.S. Department of State, Cara Yar Khan is a professional public speaker and recognized international disability rights expert.
As CEO of the NYC-based boutique consulting firm, The Purple Practice, Cara brokers disability-inclusive impact partnerships and investments because no organization can afford to exclude people with disabilities, not their extraordinary talent nor the massive market share they drive.
Cara began her international career in 2001 with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Ecuador followed by an executive role in corporate communications for Dell Technologies in Panama. In 2007 Cara joined the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Angola to cultivate corporate partnerships. This led to a year with UNICEF China, followed by UNICEF assignments in Madagascar, Mozambique, Thailand and finally Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake.
In December 2019 Cara was the closing guest speaker at TED Women presenting, The beautiful balance between courage and fear which has been viewed almost 3 million times and has been translated into 27 languages.
Cara is the participant and producer of the short documentary film, Facing the Falls, directed by Celia Aniskovich, produced by Liz Yale Marsh and executive produced by Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.
Finally, Cara has a masters degree in International Public Policy from John Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Italy and is accomplished in languages, fluent in Spanish, with working knowledge of French and Portuguese and basic Mandarin Chinese.
After 13 years working for the United Nations and UNICEF as a spokesperson for children with disabilities in ten countries, Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan was forced to leave the field due to the deterioration of her rare and progressive muscle wasting disease, HIBM. Despite the barriers, she continues her work as a humanitarian advocate, fighting the stigma of disability every day.
The Driving Force Award is presented by Porsche of North America in collaboration with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, to recognize women who exemplify the spirit of activism and community engagement at the local and/ or global level.bout your business here.
3 October 2012: Watch the field diary video of UNICEF Resource Mobilization Specialist and Disability Focal Point's Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan as she goes about her work in Haiti.
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