Board Members
Joyasree (Ranu) Mahanti, President
A former computer program analyst, Ranu is a social activist for the empowerment of women of the world.
“Helping those in need, while also empowering them to help themselves. The mandate to help means not just handouts, but also providing the means for the poor, the ill, and those in dire need to improve their condition with dignity and confidence.”
One of the visions of The Dalai Lama
Kamini Gowdaa Peri, SecretaryKamini is a HR professional and lives in Austin, Texas with her family. She has been involved in various community projects from the time she was in college and done many fundraiser events for variour organizations/ independent projects. Kamini is interested in education and empowerment for children and women.
Nupur Sethi, Treasurer
A former early childhood educator, Nupur is committed to community service and is a current volunteer for Sparrow Hospital, Lansing, Michigan and several other social benefit organizations. She is passionate about women's social and economic growth nationally and globally.
Alka is a professional in the K-12 education sector. She has been a middle school teacher, Dean of Students, researcher, and company leader. She had the opportunity to visit the women receiving micro loans in Odisha in March 2018 and has been an active donor to Our Biswas. She looks forward to helping the organization expand its the reach of nano-finance in her local community, further the improvement of women’s lives, and assist with local fundraising efforts.
Kimberly Chavez, Director
Kimberly Chavez is a Southern California native with 19 years of nonprofit experience. Kim is the Executive Director of El Canto General, an arts nonprofit and cultural center in Venice Beach, CA. Before her current role, she served as the Director of Development at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a county museum in Los Angeles. Kim has also worked for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Foundation, as an adjunct professor at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, and spent eight years in television production with KCET, the former PBS flagship station for the Westcoast.
Sean Dougherty, Director
Experienced Executive Director with a demonstrated history of working in the media production industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Team Building, and Media Relations. Sean will be very helpful to Our Biswas because of his experience in running a non-profit organization and working with poor families, women, and children in Mexico.
We honor our past as we look forward to the future, and are grateful for the dedication, hard work, and passion these following past board members have given to Our Biswas.
Ruth Jimenez-Benning, Molly Petitjean, Aparna Agrawal, Malti Agrwal, Christine Hartman, Padmini Karna, Shakti Kaul, Sharon Monsoma, Sally Pratt, Linda Racioppi, Shobha Ramanand, Reshma Sambare, Margo Smith, Charlotte Wilks, Batool Mir, Suchitra Pattnaik, April Stone, Ruth Mbabazi, Uma Shrestha, Urmila Pateriya, Akshaya Ray, Anshu Varma, and Satya Subedi, Sivangi Raychoudhury.