About Kamana Khadka, Founder of Inclusion Multipliers

Kamana means “a wish.”

My grandfather named me.

He said I was his wish come true. (No pressure.)

I grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal. Found my way into American corporate leadership as an immigrant, and now I spend my days teaching leaders something I have believed since I was six years old: inclusion was never meant to be one person’s job. It was always meant to be everyone’s.

“The only solutions that sustain themselves are the ones that multiply on their own.”

On paper:

At a glance:

  • Founder & Chief Multiplication Officer, Inclusion Multipliers

  • MPH, Certified Advanced Diversity Professional™ (CCDP™)

  • 14+ years leading inclusion work in healthcare, nonprofit, and corporate sectors

  • Board member, Diversity Leadership Alliance (Co-Chair, Education Committee)

  • WICT Network Southwest board member; 2024 WICT Advocate for DE&I Award recipient

  • Author of The Shift, a bi-weekly newsletter on inclusion in the enforcement era

Off paper:

I’m a hiker, a non-fiction reader, a mom, and the slightly outnumbered owner of a maltipoo named Jonas, who holds the title of Chief Wellness Officer and has never once missed a day of work.

I believe chai (or chia as we call in Nepal) fixes most things and a good question fixes the rest. I still miss the kind of friendship you can only make when you’re young — moving across oceans will do that to you. And I have never won an argument with Jonas, mostly because he refuses to participate.

It started with a piece of chalk.

The kids in my neighborhood in Kathmandu didn’t go to school. Their parents ran the shops nearby, and school was never an option for them.

So I asked my dad to buy me chalk.

We turned our front gate into a blackboard, and every day after school I taught the neighborhood kids what I had learned that day in school. I was six. By all accounts, I was a very strict teacher.

I didn’t have the words for it then. But standing at that gate, I already believed the thing I’ve built my entire career on:

Learning belongs to everyone. And you don’t need a title, a budget, or anyone’s permission to widen the circle. You need chalk.

Thirty-something years later, I’ve traded the gate for boardrooms and the chalk for a framework. The belief hasn’t changed.

my story in pictures

〰️

my story in pictures 〰️

A family portrait of a man, woman, and child taken outdoors with a background of trees and a cloudy sky. The man and woman are sitting close together, with the child sitting in front of the man. The man has dark hair and is wearing a gray jacket, the
Red BMX bike with black seat and handlebar grips, labeled 'BMX', against a white background. Text overlay reads: 'Late 1980s. My first BFF was my BMX bike. I rode it from morning until somebody physically stopped me. My cousins were deeply, openly je
A group of school children and teachers posing for a class photo outside a school building. The children are wearing white shirts with dark pinafores or shorts. The teachers are seated in front, with some wearing glasses and traditional attire. The s
A young girl with dark hair holding a toddler boy with a tan hat and a blue and white sweater, both smiling, standing in front of a wooden and metal fence.
A girl standing in a living room with family members around her, wearing a dress and a red mark on her forehead, with others sitting nearby. In the background, there are shelves with books, photos, and a television. The photo is labeled 1993.
A group of Girl Scouts and their leader posing for a photo indoors. They are mostly children wearing Girl Scouts uniforms and red sweaters, with a few adults included. The setting appears to be a room with beige walls and a lattice window. The photo
A group of friends enjoying a fun moment together, smiling and lying on the floor at an indoor gathering. The photo is labeled with the year 2005 and a caption about moving to the United States as an international student.
Photograph of four young women standing outdoors in front of a sign that reads "UGANDA" and "EQUATOR" during daytime. One woman is wearing a blue shirt, and the others are in casual tops. They are smiling and appear to be enjoying their time.
A young boy and a man, possibly his father, share a joyful moment, looking at each other and smiling while embracing. The background shows a cozy room with a fireplace.
Group of young Asian people playing Jenga in a classroom. They are smiling and wearing traditional headbands, with one person wearing a black cap. A woman is sitting on the right, smiling and observing. A clock shows the time as 2:15. The caption men
Photo of a diverse group of people at a meeting and outdoor event, with a caption about community service and board involvement in the 2000s.
Group photos of diverse people in a conference room, with one woman standing in front of empty tables. The caption indicates it was in 2012 when the person started her first company, Hamro America LLC, meaning 'ours' in Nepali, emphasizing inclusion
Two people, a man and a woman, are standing outdoors near a pond with trees and greenery in the background. The man has dark, curly hair and is wearing a dark-colored shirt. The woman is wearing sunglasses, a dark top, and is holding some papers. Beh
Bride dressed in traditional red wedding attire with intricate embroidery, jewelry, and a floral flower garland, during a wedding ceremony.
A group of people inside a wooden room, with a large window showing greenery outside. One man is shaking hands with an elderly man, while a woman looks on smiling. Two other men stand in the background.
A pregnant woman in a yellow dress with floral patterns standing in front of a man in a blue shirt on a wooden bridge, with green trees and water lilies in the background.
A photo of a conference name badge reading "TERROS 9TH ANNUAL CHAVEZ CONFERENCE" with the name Kamana Khadka, placed on a table. Below is a group photo of attendees at a conference, with the year "2019" overlaid, and caption text describing an indivi
A woman giving a presentation to a group of people in a conference room, with a slide titled 'Connect to Understand' about mindset types. The room has several attendees seated at tables with laptops and papers, facing the presenter and screen.
Three groups of women in different settings, with a quote overlay about serving on the board of WICT Network Southwest, receiving a DE&I award in 2024, and reflecting on leadership and industry challenges.
A dog with light fur wearing a black and white checkered bow tie, looking directly at the camera with a blurred background.
Three photos with a text overlay. The top photo shows a presenter speaking in front of a crowd with a woman holding a large poster. The middle photo features a group of diverse individuals holding certificates, posing in a room. The bottom photo is a
Two images of women at conferences. The top image features Kamana Khadka speaking at the CCW Women Summit in Las Vegas on June 23, 2026, with a cityscape and palm trees in the background. The bottom image shows a woman standing beside a colorful post

  • "Kamana delivered an outstanding keynote at our Diversity Summit, captivating a room of patients, partners, and providers. Her message on culturally competent partnerships was not only interactive and engaging — it directly influenced our DEI strategy moving forward."

    —Mountain Park Health Center

  • "Kamana is more than a speaker — she’s a catalyst. Her workshops helped our team rethink how we show up for our diverse communities. Her style is engaging, insightful, and deeply grounded in experience."

    —Arizona Alliance of Community Health Centers

  • "Through the brilliant facilitation of Kamana Khadka, has equipped leaders across sectors with transformative tools to build inclusive communities. Our members consistently rate her workshops as some of the most insightful they’ve attended."

    —Diversity Leadership Alliance

  • "We’ve invited Kamana to present on numerous occasions. Her sessions on cultural awareness and inclusive communication are top-tier. She’s a trainer’s trainer — insightful, reliable, and always professional.”

    -Arizona Translators and Interpreters, Inc.

  • “Kamana led a powerful workshop that created space for real, vulnerable dialogue. The session didn’t feel forced — it felt human, grounded, and transformational.”

    -Workshop Participant

  • “I walked away from Kamana’s training with tools I can apply as a nurse and as a person. This wasn’t just theory — it was actionable.”

    -Workshop Participant

let’s talk about what’s possible

Thirty minutes. Free. No pitch.

We’ll look at where your inclusion strategy stands and what multiplication could look like inside your organization.

If this framework isn’t the right fit, I’ll tell you that too.

A woman with dark, wavy hair and a green blazer, smiling in a warmly lit indoor setting.
Let's talk