Kalia is the Director of Programs at Pillars and oversees the Community Infrastructure Fund, managing grantee relationships and the annual grant cycle, and provides leadership for emerging initiatives. Prior to joining Pillars, Kalia spent four years at the Center for New Community, a national advocacy and research organization based in Chicago.

Kalia has more than 15 years of journalism experience, is a contributor to In These Times, and taught high school students in rural southwestern Virginia with the Upward Bound program. Her analysis has been cited in the Washington Post, The Nation, NPR, Public Radio International, and USA Today, among other outlets. Kalia earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Florida and studied race and social policy at Virginia Tech.