As Chief Development Officer (CDO), Sri Ananda is responsible for developing and executing the agency's resource development plan. Under Ananda's leadership, WestEd's Institutional Development office investigates and pursues new business development opportunities; develops opportunities with new funders and partnering agencies; tracks and supports over 600 proposals per year; and provides training to staff on proposal development and business planning. Since Ananda assumed the position of CDO in 2003, WestEd's operating revenue has increased by over 20%.

Ananda also provides leadership in recruitment and talent development. Anticipating the growing emphasis on scientifically based research, she has augmented the agency's methodological depth with talented and experienced senior researchers. As a result, WestEd has significantly increased its capacity to successfully compete for important and large-scale research projects in several different content areas, including special education, postsecondary education, and career-technical education.

Ananda previously co-directed WestEd's Assessment and Standards Development Services program, sharing responsibility for developing its stature and national reputation. She directed or oversaw numerous high-profile local, state, and national standards, assessment, and evaluation projects. For example, she oversaw the development and administration of an assessment system used to certify thousands of teachers in California as having the necessary skills to effectively teach English language learners.

Prior to joining WestEd, Ananda worked on various assessment and research projects at IOX Associates in Los Angeles and the American Institutes for Research in Palo Alto, California.

Ananda received a BA in psychology, an MA in educational psychology, and a PhD in educational psychology from the Quantitative Methods Program at the University of California, Berkeley.