Jayanthi Karunaratne

Jayanthi Karunaratne was born and raised in Sri Lanka, relocating to Nashville, Tennessee in 2012. She has over twenty years of experience in both office and production management, as well as documentary filmmaking.  She currently works as a Senior Business Process Manager at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Before joining Vanderbilt, she served as the Office Manager at Okpaku & Associates, a mental health outpatient clinic, from 2013 to 2021. Prior to moving to the US, Karunaratne managed operations at Wildlight Private Limited in Colombo, Sri Lanka where she specialized in commercial and wildlife photography. Jayanthi's professional experience also includes serving as a freelance documentary filmmaker. 
Jayanthi developed a strong sense of devotion for community service when she was a teenager. She served as a volunteer, social worker, and National Executive Committee Member with Service Civil International promoting international understanding in Sri Lanka from 2003 to 2010 where she attended and organized workshops and training programs to build better relationship between the national and international communities. After moving to the States, Jayanthi now continues to engage in social and community services. She is currently serving as an Executive Committee member with the United Religious Initiative/Nashville Cooperation Circle, an organization committed to building bridges between different religions and cultures. She is also serving as a Steering Committee Member with Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light (TIPL) – Nashville chapter, whose goal is to respond to climate change through spiritual feedback. 
Jayanthi earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Writership and Communication from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and a B.A. in Mass Communication and Sociology from the University of Kelaniya.