Meet the Team

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Meet the Team

IN DELHI

Founder, Leora Trust. In 2006 when Dr Nanda moved back to India, after spending many years in the US, she was struck by the heartbreaking gender inequality that still persists in India. Recognizing her own good fortune of receiving many opportunities for education, motivated her to set up education support for girls. At first, her activities consisted of volunteer teaching and mentoring young girls wherever she saw a need. In 2012, she streamlined these efforts by establishing Leora Trust, which has grown steadily in its activities. Seema Nanda is a scientist and mathematician. She completed her Ph.D. and M.S (mathematics) at New York University.  She has held positions worldwide in the corporate environment and in academia; she was Vice President at Lehman Brothers and later a faculty member at TIFR, Bangalore. She has also taught mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, New York University and Dartmouth College. Committed to enabling the learning and growth of underprivileged children,  she strives to imbue a love for learning among children, with a particular emphasis on science and mathematics. She has designed several learning systems that are used at Leora Trust.

Group Capt. P. Bhatia (retd) ICAS, brings a wealth of experience in Finance, Accounts, Audit and Financial Management and Resource Mobilization of NGOs and the Education sector. He has held  key positions at various government organizations. In the Indian Air Force, he worded in the Accounts department, for 21 years and was awarded a Commendation by Chief of Air Staff, for outstanding < span style="background-color: initial;">academic instructor at the IAF Academy, Hyderabad. He worked as Controller of Accounts for the Department of Supplies, Delhi Administration, and as Executive Director of Finance for Sports Authority of India. Group Capt. P. Bhatia has also held the position of  Financial Advisor, both at University Grants Commission and at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Additionally, he was Chief Controller of Accounts in the Ministry of Commerce and Textiles.  After these tenures, he volunteered for 9 years as Head of Human Resources,  Finance and as Treasurer at CanSupport (a non-profit serving cancer patients). In this voluntary position, he was part of the Management committee and Governing Body. Another one of his volunteer roles includes assisting widows with financial management. In his community, Mr.  Bhatia  is known as the go to person for problem solving.

Anuradha, Administrative Executive. Anuradha's challenging journey from her early life of growing up in an urban slum to her current position has taught her much about life. She has a  passion for helping others who may be less fortunate and is a strong advocate of education for girls.  First in family to be literate and receive education she completed a B.A. (Honors)  in Political Science from Desh Bandhu College, Delhi University, and her M.A. (Political Science) from Jamia Millia Islamiya University. She has experience working in the non-profit space with Asha, where she was an Education Executive. In this capacity she helped underprivileged students with admission to college. Later she also worked as a  Research Analyst for marketing in an event management firm before joining Leora Trust. 

PREVIOUSLY WITH US

Shanthala V., President, at Leora Trust, is a consultant psychologist. She has held varied roles for the past 20 years in the educational and ITES sectors. As a counselor and remedial teacher and as a coordinator ensuring employees are provided the required optimal performance training, Shanthala has created training modules and developed e-learning content using instructional design methodologies. Her experience in diverse professions inspires her belief that passion and enthusiasm can lead to success in any career. She hopes to inculcate this perspective in today's Indian youth, especially in girls.

Prerna Tandon, Trustee. Prerna has an B.A. and M.B.A. in economics from Punjab University, Chandigarh. She has held several senior positions throughout her 20-year career at various multinational corporations in the HR sector, inlcuding General Electric, Infosys and Wipro. Prerna is also a self-made entrepreneur with a passion for women's empowerment. 


We mourn the demise of Dr Chugh. His death on Dec 31, 2020 has left a void in the lives of all he was associated with.

 Dr. T.D. Chugh was an internationally reputed medical practitioner and micro-biologist. He was recognized as an educator par-excellence, and for his ability to mentor young talent. He studied medicine at Government Medical College, Amritsar. From 1972-2014, Dr. Chugh was a professor at Dayanand Medical College, Rohtak, serving as chairman of the micro-biology department from 1972-1979. From 2001-2013, he was professor at Kuwait University. He has more than 300 research publications. He was awarded fellowships by Royal College, London and American Academy of Microbiologists. Awards received in India include several orations by professional bodies and Emeritus Professorship by National Academy of Medical Sciences. He had a passion for educating the young and led a very energetic life.

Kavita Verma, Social Activist,  has a burning desire to bring positive change in society. She has particular interest in education and health. Her passion took her to Muni International school, an innovative school  in Delhi, as a teacher. She later worked at Muni International's non-profit arm, Aiklavya Education & Social Welfare Society, to enhance the quality of Government primary schools under the School Quality Enhancement Program (SQEP).  Among the twelve SQEP partner organizations,  Aiklavya was judged the best, under her leadership. Earlier She worked with 'SSYAMA for health' to bring health management information to people. She received training from National Independent School Education Alliance for the assessment of schools, teachers and students, and has trained teachers to embrace practices that bring positive change in children's education. Her role at Leora Trust has been  to create new programs at the community level, to  improve education in primary Government schools and in evaluating student learning at affordable private schools.

 Nisha Rathi, Trustee. Nisha Rathi is the finance manager of award winning architectural firm Rathi Associates and the director of Rathi Learning Space interior design school. Nisha aims to promote the education of girls and the well-being of poor women. Working with many NGOs (Mitra Joti, Prasanna Joti, APD), she has supported the empowerment of women and the disabled. Nisha brings her keen insights in business, strategy, and project structure to Leora Trust. 

Anuradha Sarin, Co-founder. Anuradha was a banker in the US and India and most recently served as Senior Vice President for Wealth Management and Corporate Social Responsibility at Yes Bank, Bangalore. Her passion is encouraging the financial empowerment of women. To this end, she has undertaken a microcredit project in Hoskote Village, outside of Bangalore, under Leora Trust. Anuradha has now left Leora Trust to pursue her interest in empowering women through Microfinance.