Moira Shourie is the executive director of Zócalo Public Square, a California-based unit of Arizona State University. Founded in 2003 by a New America Fellow, Zócalo aims to connect people to ideas and to each other by examining essential questions in an accessible, broad-minded, and democratic spirit. In service of that mission. Zócalo presents public events and publishes original essays, photographs, poetry, and other content.
Shourie’s career in media began as part of the startup team that launched Outlook, now one of India’s most widely read news magazines. Shourie went on to be the first music programmer of MTV India. Her career with MTV Networks International spanned channel launches throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
Shourie has grown the reach and impact of Zócalo Public Square in Los Angeles and beyond by developing partnerships with noted institutions like The Smithsonian and the University of Toronto, and by collaborating with community-focused organizations like artworxLA and Inner City Arts. Under her leadership, Zócalo received significant funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The California Wellness Foundation to develop content on topics ranging from truth & reconciliation around the world, to life in rural California.
Shourie has a BA from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi University and a masters degree in Visual & Media Arts from Emerson College, Boston. She is a 2021 Sulzberger Fellow at Columbia Journalism School. Shourie has served on the board of KIPP SoCal Schools with positions on the governance and development committees.
An avid golfer and member of the Riviera Ladies Golf Team, Shourie is the proud mother of two sets of twin boys aged 18 and 9.