AKSHAYA PATRA USA - Key Persons
I am an ambitious young woman who believes in working smart. With a background in marketing spanning over three years, I bring a wealth of experience in developing and executing successful marketing strategies across various industries. I am thrilled to be a part of this incredible team and am excited to contribute my skills and expertise to help drive our collective success.
Besides being cultured by my personal, professional, and academic experiences, I attribute my success to the foundational values that I believe in,
Job Titles:
- Vice President - Development ( East )
I am open-minded, fun loving, an easy-going, caring, adventurous and sincere woman. I am honest and give 100% in everything I do. I enjoy exploring new places such as- historical spots, cruise with friends, hill stations, mountains. Fitness - Yoga/Meditation, Music, and Fashion are some interesting subjects to me.
Helping others really matters to me. I saw a worthy cause with an emotional appeal in Akshaya Patra. I feel proud to be a part of this exceptional effort. The cause is huge - almost infinite. I believe better education leads to a better quality of life.
Ashwini Bartolucci graduated from Mills College in May 2022 with a degree in International Relations and a minor in Spanish and Spanish American Studies. Ashwini believes universal rights should encompass multi-dimensional education, nutritious food, safe shelter, and holistic healthcare.
Ashwini faced food insecurity and hunger as a young child and wants to dedicate her life to making food accessible for all. A passion for social justice and food justice, along with six years of experience volunteering for various non-profit organizations, led her to Akshaya P??tra.
As Akshaya P??tra coordinator, Ashwini has the privilege to collaborate with and learn from many people on the APUSA team at once and is continuously inspired by the dedication and resilience of her colleagues. Throughout her career, Ashwini will continue expanding her knowledge on the intersections of climate change, economic development, food politics, and state sovereignty.
Job Titles:
- President and CEO, KAAJ Systems
B. V. Jagadeesh is a successful serial entrepreneur in the field of technology, a Venture Capitalist and a philanthropist. He co-founded and was CTO of Exodus communications in 1993 that pioneered the concept of Internet data centers. He was instrumental in successful IPO of Exodus in 1998. Jagadeesh seed funded NetScaler and became President and CEO in 2000. NetScaler was successfully sold to Citrix for $325M and Jagadeesh served as Group VP and GM for Citrix application networking division. Jagadeesh has served as CEO and President for 3Leaf Systems. Currently Jagadeesh is a Managing Partner at KAAJ Ventures.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation India
Chanchalapathi Dasa, known to many as "CP Ji", was among the first founders of the Akshaya Patra Foundation. While in college, he embraced the mission of Srila Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and became a full-time dedicated member in 1984. Inspired by Srila Prabhupada's message of compassion and self-less service, Chanchalapathi Dasa helped found Akshaya Patra as a pilot program serving school meals to just 1,500 children in 5 schools in Bangalore. Together, the founders combined their own knowledge of engineering to transform Akshaya Patra into one of the world's largest NGO-run school meal programs that today serves 2 million children daily in over 22,000 schools from 66 kitchens in 15 states & 2 Union Territories across India. Today, Chanchalapathi Dasa manages the executive operations of the Foundation.
Dr Rachana Kulkarni is a cardiologist in New Jersey for the last 20 years. She is the managing partner of Medicor Cardiology, a leading cardiology group in Central Jersey. She has served as the Chief of Cardiology and Chairman of Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset and is the President of American Heart Association New Jersey Chapter.
Dr Kulkarni has been involved with Akshaya Patra for the last several years. She has been instrumental in building a robust Chapter of Akshaya Patra in New Jersey and has led her team to host two successful Galas in New Jersey. She passionately believes in improving the world through education and thinks that Akshaya Patra is the perfect vehicle to achieve that change in an entire generation of Indian kids.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Founder
- Co - Founder of Jiyo
- Founder, the Chopra Center for Wellbeing
DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation and co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century."He is the author of more than 80 books translated into over 43 languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. Two of his books, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind (1993) and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success (1995), have been recognized on The Books of The Century Bestsellers List. Chopra is the co-author with Rudolph E. Tanzi of the instant New York Times bestseller, Super Brain and current bestseller, Super Genes (Harmony, November 2015).
Chopra serves as co-founder of Jiyo, Adjunct Professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences, Faculty at Walt Disney Imagineering and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization. For the last three years, Greatist.com recognizes Dr. Chopra as one of "The 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness.??? The World Post and The Huffington Post global internet survey ranked Dr. Chopra #17 influential thinker in the world and #1 in Medicine???.
Job Titles:
- Chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation USA
- President of QuantumScape
Dr. Siva Sivaram is the President of QuantumScape, a leader in next-generation solid-state lithium-metal batteries.
A tech executive with exceptional experience across the semiconductor, data storage and solar industries, Dr. Sivaram has held key leadership positions at Western Digital, SanDisk, Intel and Matrix Semiconductors over the last four decades. He also founded and led Twin Creek Technologies, a company specialized in novel solar cells and equipment.
Dr. Sivaram has authored numerous technical papers and a textbook on chemical vapor deposition and holds several patents in semiconductor and solar technologies.
Dr. Sivaram currently sits on the board of directors for the US-India Business Council, and Akshaya Patra, the world's largest NGO dedicated to feeding school children. He earned his Doctorate and Master's degrees in Materials Science from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a Distinguished Alumnus of the National Institute of Technology, Trichy, where he received a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Job Titles:
- Vice President - Development ( West )
Geeta has been associated with Akshaya Patra almost since inception due to her passion to do something transformational for society.
She started working as a volunteer in December 2001 and was one of the founder member of the fundraising team in India. She has deep expertise in fundraising and has extensive experience in creating different products, avenues for fundraising.
She was instrumental in creating various unique programs for engagement and volunteering for the corporate sector. She also has played transformational roles in Human resources by defining engagement drivers and strategy for our employees.
Geeta has a Masters in Software Engineering from Brandeis University, and is based in the Bay Area.
Job Titles:
- Vice President - Development
Geeta Rai brings 15 plus years of business development and marketing experience in the corporate and non-profit domains. She has played many management roles at AT&T and Silicon Valley startups including a theater non-profit. She loves that her current fundraising responsibility enables tangible value to the children of India. She has an MBA from Drexel University. She lives in the Bay Area, CA and enjoys hiking, meditation and watching movies.
Job Titles:
- Chairman Emeritus, the Akshaya Patra Foundation USA
- President and Chairman of Sparta Group LLC
Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande was the Chairman of Akshaya Patra USA from 2008 to 2020. Dr. Deshpande is the President and Chairman of Sparta Group LLC and has founded several successful companies including Cascade Communications and Sycamore Networks. Dr. Deshpande holds a B. Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, an M.E. from the University of New Brunswick in Canada, and Ph.D from Queens University in Canada. Dr. Deshpande serves as a life-member of the MIT Corporation.
Janardan Thakkar's diverse career encompasses engineering, entrepreneurship, and business leadership. With an academic foundation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and completing substantial portion of MBA course work, he embarked on a journey that included roles within various manufacturing enterprises. Notably, Janardan's entrepreneurial prowess emerged as he acquired a modest garage machine shop and molded it into a distinguished enterprise, serving a spectrum of industries.
Janardan and Linda ardently champion philanthropy through the Thakkar Family Foundation and personal initiatives. Their advocacy spans two decades, encompassing domains such as arts, hunger relief, and humanitarian causes. Janardan's conviction in addressing childhood hunger as pivotal for holistic development drives his support for organizations intertwining nutrition and education, aligning with Arthur Fletcher's maxim: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Their enduring commitment to the local food bank exemplifies this ethos. Currently, their contributions extend to the Akshaya Patra Organization by funding a kitchen providing 35,000 school lunches daily throughout the academic year.
Jyothi comes to Akshaya Patra with over 13 years of experience heading the accounting and finance division in corporate organizations. Her experience spans, managing $100M budgets, saving opex/capex costs through operation efficiencies, financial planning, reporting, and implementing financial controls and systems from the scratch.
With a loving family of two kids who keep her occupied during off hours, Jyothi makes time to volunteer as a treasurer at Girl Scouts of Orange County, an Auditor for PTA, and supports accounting at Chinmaya Mission LA.
Brought up in a culture where sharing food and feeding needy children is viewed as the topmost value, Jyothi is innately aligned to the vision and mission of Akshaya Patra Foundation. Jyothi is happy to utilize her skills and experience in leading the accounting and finance team at Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Jyothi resides in Irvine with her family, loves traveling, watching movies, experiments, and enjoys cooking various cuisines.
Job Titles:
- Chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation India
- Member of the Akshaya Patra USA Board of Directors
Madhu Pandit Dasa has been a member of the Akshaya Patra USA Board of Directors since 2006. He completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT-Mumbai in the year 1980. While he was doing his Masters in Technology in IIT-Mumbai in 1981, he became a full-time member of ISKCON. In 1994, he initiated an integrated social development project for the benefit of the rural people of Mysore and Mandya districts. A model, prototype organic farm based on natural and earth-friendly farming methods along with an internationally accredited farmer-training center has been setup in the 110-acre land on the banks of river Kaveri in Srirangapatam. He designed the first centralized and mechanized kitchen of Akshaya Patra, to provide school meals to underprivileged children in the Government schools of Bangalore Rural District during July 2000.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Limited
Narayana Murthy, is an Indian IT industrialist and the co-founder of , a multinational corporation providing business consulting, technology, engineering, and outsourcing services. He started Infosys in 1981. Murthy has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine. He has been described as Father of Indian IT sector by Time magazine due to his contribution to outsourcing in India. Murthy has also been honoured with the and awards.
Navin joins Akshaya Patra after an incredibly successful career as former CIO of Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology, and outsourcing services. Navin was also the Former Chairman and CEO of Sogeti USA, a subsidiary of Capgemini. Detailed Bio is available on LinkedIn.
Navin was born and raised in Rourkela, Odisha. He and his family have resided in Dayton, Ohio for 33 years. Together they have two children who are both Physicians.
Navin has a Bachelors in Computer Science from The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and graduated from Ohio State University with a Masters of Computer and Information Science. Navin is also a Trustee of the Hindu Temple and supports spiritual study and meditation. For fun, Navin enjoys golfing and playing Bridge.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Development
Neil D. Mehta joins Akshaya Patra as Vice President of Development.
With over a decade of corporate and entrepreneurship experience in healthcare, medical device development, and DTC e-commerce startups, Neil brings his knowledge of marketing, branding, fundraising, and relationship-building skills to assist with Akshaya Patra's growth and expansion initiatives.
Neil holds his Bachelor of Science in Biology from The Ohio State University and a Master's in Public Health from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Piyali was born and adopted from Kolkata, India and came to the U.S at the age of 4. She grew up in Williamsville, NY and now lives in Florida with her husband and 5 year old son. She had worked for 16 years in the corporate financial sales and marketing industry before joining Akshaya Patra where she manages all the events. She has been with Akshaya Patra Foundation for 14 years. She has a B.S. from SUNY Buffalo
Raghu Raghuram currently serves as CEO of VMware and is a thought leader who has successfully maneuvered operations over the course of several years, having held numerous senior positions managing strategy, product & service offerings. He was also part of the leadership team that took VMware through its first IPO. Raghu holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.
Raghu Raghuram has been a strong supporter of Akshaya Patra USA for several years and believes that, "education and nutrition are deeply interrelated. The tradeoff that children have to make on a daily basis, between food and education, is extremely distressing. Akshaya Patra has been tackling this issue for several years now and I am honored & humbled to be a part of the vision to rid classrooms of hunger and enable every child's intrinsic right to access education all across India."
As a highly motivated individual, my commitment to acquiring knowledge and skills in Data Analytics drives my passion for success at Akshaya Patra Foundation USA. Alongside my professional aspirations, I am a foodie with a penchant for trying diverse cuisines and experimenting in the kitchen. During my leisure moments, I find solace in music, enriching my mind through books, and occasionally engaging in sports.
I am fueled by the desire to contribute significantly to Akshaya Patra Foundation's future goals. Drawing from my experience working in India and the expertise gained during my MBA and MSc. in Business Analytics, I am confident that my unique blend of skills can add substantial value to the organization. Together, let's drive growth and performance, making a lasting impact in the lives of those we serve.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and President of GEP
- President & Founder - GEP
Roopa is Co-founder and President of GEP, a global procurement and supply chain organization. She founded GEP with the dream of a beautiful company, a place that touches employees, clients and communities in a positive and sustainable way. She leads GEP's CSR initiatives and has been supporting Akshaya Patra both in US and India for the last 5+ years.
She has a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Pharmacy and an MBA from the University of Chicago, but considers herself a student for life.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor is an Indian celebrity chef, entrepreneur, television personality & author of best-selling cookbooks to a global audience. He is best known as the star of TV show Khana Khazana, which is the longest-running show of its kind in Asia. Chef Kapoor is also the co-owner of a successful TV Channel ‘FoodFood' & Managing Director of Khana Khazana India Pvt Ltd. He is recognized globally as the winner of several culinary awards and a passionate restaurateur with locations across the world.
Sri Rajan is a Partner at Cota Capital, an early stage venture fund based in San Francisco. Prior to Cota, Sri was a Senior Partner at Bain & Company where he had a series of leadership roles across Boston, India, and San Francisco. He was instrumental in founding the firm's operations in India and was the Managing Partner there before becoming its Chairman. He is an angel investor in a number of startup companies in India and serves on the board of Delhivery, a logistics tech company.
Sri has an undergraduate degree from India in Physics, a Masters in Management from the Indian Institute of Management and an MBA from Wharton. Apart from being the Vice-Chair of Akshaya Patra in the US, Sri is the Chair of the Advisory Board of Akshaya Patra in India and is also on the Advisory Boards of Central Square Foundation (focused on improving foundational literacy and numeracy), The Udaiti Foundation (focused on women's economic empowerment), The Convergence Foundation (an incubator of non-profit organizations) and ILSS (which runs capacity building programs for the social sector).
Job Titles:
- Vice Chairman, the Akshaya Patra Foundation USA
Sri Rajan is a Partner at Cota Capital, an early stage venture fund based in San Francisco. Prior to Cota, Sri was a Senior Partner at Bain & Company where he had a series of leadership roles across Boston, India, and San Francisco. He was instrumental in founding the firm's operations in India and was the Managing Partner there before becoming its Chairman. He is an angel investor in a number of startup companies in India and serves on the board of Delhivery, a logistics tech company.
Sri has an undergraduate degree from India in Physics, a Masters in Management from the Indian Institute of Management and an MBA from Wharton. Apart from being the Vice-Chair of Akshaya Patra in the US, Sri is the Chair of the Advisory Board of Akshaya Patra in India and is also on the Advisory Boards of Central Square Foundation (focused on improving foundational literacy and numeracy), The Udaiti Foundation (focused on women's economic empowerment), The Convergence Foundation (an incubator of non-profit organizations) and ILSS (which runs capacity building programs for the social sector).
In her current role as the Marketing Lead for Akshaya Patra USA, Swati is responsible for developing and executing the organization's marketing strategy to increase awareness and engagement with the mission of the foundation. She oversees a team of marketing professionals who are dedicated to creating impactful campaigns, organizing events, and building relationships with key stakeholders in the community.
Prior to this role, she was the Development Director, responsible for leading the organization's efforts in building partnerships and securing funding from corporate, individual, and philanthropic donors. Her extensive experience in the non-profit sector, including Save the Children India, ICCo, and Udyogini, has equipped her with a diverse set of skills in program management, fundraising, and building strategic partnerships.
Swati holds a Masters's degree in Social Work from the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India, and is a trained Special Educator specializing in learning disabilities. Her passion for social impact and community development led her to join The Akshaya Patra team as a pro-bono volunteer before transitioning to a full-time role in January 2020. Swati's unwavering commitment to the organization's mission and tireless efforts to drive positive change make her an invaluable asset to The Akshaya Patra Foundation.