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Kamal Bawa is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Founder-President of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). Among the many awards he has received are: Pew Award in Conservation and the Environment (1992), Giorgio Ruffolo Fellowship at Harvard University (2009), the Gunnerus Prize in Sustainability Science from the Royal Norwegian Society of Letters and Sciences (2012), the international MIDORI Prize in Biodiversity (2014) from the Aeon Foundation in Japan, the Linnean Medal (2018), and honorary doctorates from the University of Alberta (2014) and Concordia University in Montreal (2019).
He is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2012), the Royal Norwegian Society of Letters and Sciences (2012), the Royal Society (2015), and the American Philosophical Society. Kamal Bawa is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Conservation and Society and Editor of Ecology, Economy and Society. His latest coffee table book Himalaya: The Mountains of Life, a companion volume to Sahyadri: India’s Western Ghats, was published in 2013.
Hari Balasubramanian is a senior sustainability professional who creates enduring and profitable social and environmental solutions across sectors, asset classes, and the capital stack. With experience in environmental finance, ESG, corporate sustainability integration, impact investing, community projects, and large-scale program development, he has worked alongside over 300 projects in 5 languages and 60+ countries and has influenced over U$3.25B in sustainability-oriented financing – helping protect threatened species, forests, oceans, and the people who depend upon them throughout the world.
He is founder of both the Certified B Corporation®, EcoAdvisors, working with governments, corporations, foundations and individuals on values alignment and sustainable decision making, and EcoInvestors Capital, which invests for sustainability at scale. Hari serves as a Director for several environmental charities, mentor to start-ups, and advisor to investors, corporates, and governments on the value of nature. He was recently recognized as the 2020 top impact consultant/enabler in Canada through Clean Leaders.
Mr. Balasubramanian holds a BSc in Biology from McGill University and an MSc in Geography (Distinction) from Oxford University.
Chitra Dwarka is an innovator, consultant and accomplished leader with expertise in technology management and product development with extensive experience in strategic planning, building collaborative high-performing teams and successfully executing multiple complex technology, entrepreneurial and social impact global initiatives. She currently combines nature-inspired innovation, technology and interdisciplinary collaboration to drive collective intelligence design, organizational and system level transformation, and sustainable product design. Chitra leads partnerships at the MIT Sloan CIO Symposium and has held senior roles as VP Product Development and Global Product Management at State Street Corporation. As a board member of ATREE USA, she champions environmental stewardship and regenerative practices. Chitra is lifelong learner with interest in global cultures, history, and philosophies. She holds an MBA from Simmons College, MSc in Biomimicry from ASU, and is aCertified Biomimicry Professional.
Andy Kalambi has over 30 years of executive leadership experience at some of the largest technology corporations and startups, including Siemens, SAP and Dassault Systems. He is a mechanical engineer by training, having studied at Delhi University. He leveraged that expertise to spearhead sustainability initiatives across Asia, organizing conferences, campaigns and sustainability toolkits in Singapore, Japan, US and India. Currently, Andy is the Managing Partner at Kanu Ventures LLC in Boston, where he is focused on mentoring companies in deep tech and cleantech. He is also a partner at Hi Mark Capital, a venture capital firm that prioritizes investing in BIPOC and women founders, and a board member of the CHF Foundation, USA. He strongly believes that biodiversity is the meta-narrative that underpins our shared future.
Anthony Killough is a successful business and social entrepreneur with a deep interest in India.
Called the “real life Lorax” by National Geographic and “Einstein of the treetops” by Wall Street Journal, Meg Lowman is an author, explorer, scientist, arbornaut (translation: treetop explorer!), Fulbright scholar, and change-agent for conservation. She has devoted over 4 decades to exploration and research on treetop secrets, as one of the first pioneers to launch canopy science and as a museum leader. Lowman has published 10 books and over 200 peer-reviewed publications, and holds a BA in Biology, MSc in Ecology, PhD in Botany, and Executive Management from Tuck School of Business. She has received myriad prizes including the Margaret Douglas Medal by Garden Club of America, Roy Chapman Andrews Distinguished Explorer Award, Kilby Laureate, Odum Award for Excellence in Education by Ecological Society of America, and Lowell Thomas Medal by the Explorers Club. Her recent projects included creating a UNESCO world heritage forest site in Malaysia and partnering with Ethiopia’s Coptic priests to save their last 5% remaining church forests.
Mr. Rao is the President of The Parnin Group, a management consulting firm that helps organizations improve their organizational health and performance. He brings broad expertise and experience in strategic planning, performance improvement, organizational development, and digital transformation, and has worked with organizations in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. He has published several articles on organizational development and performance.
Mr. Rao has an MBA from Columbia University and a master’s from University of Colorado at Boulder. He serves on the Board of The Child and Family Network Centers (CFNC), a non-profit based in Alexandria that provides free preschool education to students from low-income families.
Mr. Rao lives in Alexandria, Virginia and is passionate about environmental conservation and sustainability, in addition to early childhood education.
Ravi Achar’s present focus is as a Board member investor in several Pharma, Biotech and MedTech companies based in the US and India. In addition, he is actively involved with founders and startups providing Board advisory services.
Ravi holds an MBA in International Business & Finance from Pace University in New York and a BE from RV College of Engineering in Bangalore, India. He has a diverse C level 34+ years background in the Defense and Healthcare industries in operations, business development, strategic partnerships, international business, and funding having conducted business in over 60 countries in Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Africa.
Ravi devotes his time between Los Angeles and Bangalore for family and business endeavors. He is an 8th generation Achar from Talacauvery, Coorg, India. Ravi and his wife Radhika are passionate about nature, conservation, and sustainability taking care of the family farm, Cauvery, in the village of Tharalu outside of Bangalore.
Raj is a Venture Partner at SUM Ventures, a firm that invests in visionary founders at the earliest stages, focusing on ideas that aim to create a better future for all. SUM Ventures’ investments primarily target sectors such as FinTech, PropTech, IoT, AI, MedTech, CleanTech, and other impactful ventures. As a Venture Partner, Raj collaborates with select portfolio companies, providing operational support while also identifying and evaluating potential new partners.
Raj retired as Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management at Siemens Software, where he oversaw Mergers, Acquisitions, and Equity Investment planning, focusing on strategic software portfolio initiatives with measurable business impact. With over 43 years of experience, Raj also held various senior management positions, serving as a Business Lead in Product Lifecycle Management, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing Engineering.
Raj was honored as the “Siemens Inventor of the Year” in 2022. He has also received multiple recognitions for innovation in the domain of Supply Chain integration and is credited with several innovations in the integration of hydraulics and electronics.
Raj is a Mechanical Engineer with a graduate degree in Computer Science. For over a decade, Raj has been actively engaged with graduate business programs at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper/Heinz Schools, the Booth School at the University of Chicago, and the Paul Merage School at the University of California, Irvine. He currently serves on the ATREE Advisory Board.
Rajini Srikanth received her PhD in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is Professor of English and Dean of Faculty at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Dr. Srikanth is the author of two monographs (one focused on South Asian American literature and the other on U.S. Literature and Law), several co-edited volumes, and multiple articles in journals. Her research and teaching are interdisciplinary.
Dr. Srikanth works in the areas of human rights and literature, global public health, humanities and coastal resiliency, climate justice, and comparative race and ethnic studies. She is passionate about cultivating the next generation of ethical climate scientists, policy makers and educators, and is fiercely committed to furthering planetary health through her teaching and research.
Zoë Timms is the Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Education Project (WEP), which she formed in 2002 while living in India. WEP’s mission is for young women to become earners, leaders, and changemakers. Working with area grassroots leaders, Zoë developed the Leadership Academy, a locally sourced, holistic curricula through which young women become knowledgeable and confident leaders prepared to pursue their ambitions with an expanded awareness of life’s opportunities.
Balakrishnan (‘Bala’) Venkatachalam was, until recently, Executive Director of Pratham USA. Under his watch, with support from the Board, Pratham USA raised over $150 million in eight years, saw a 2.5X jump in annual revenues from $10.5 to $25 million, expanded the team from 6 to 25, and enhanced processes and technology capabilities. Bala was involved with Pratham’s programs in India between 2003 and 2006 as national head of operations, and has previously worked across audit, strategy consulting, and a mobile technology start-up as co-founder.
Before his role at Pratham USA, Bala worked with the strategy consulting firm Monitor Group in India as Engagement Manager where he led a team to identify and develop new business opportunities in affordable urban housing.
Bala is currently engaged in seeding Pratham’s work internationally. He is passionate about education, healthcare, environmental, and long-term sustainability issues. He has an MBA from INSEAD and is a Chartered Accountant (CPA equivalent).
Kris Cafaro has a BA (Interdisciplinary) from Muhlenberg College, an MA (Environmental Policy & Planning) from Tufts University, and a Graduate Certificate (Mediation & Conflict Resolution) from Colorado State University. She is an editor, writer, and researcher and has worked with environmental non-profit organizations and grantmaking foundations including Legacy Land Trust and Audubon Colorado. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for Animal Friends Alliance, an animal welfare non-profit located in Northern Colorado.
Alex Counts is a nonprofit leader, educator, consultant, and author. He established the Grameen Foundation in 1997 with the assistance of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus and built it into a global organization over 18 years as its CEO. He is the author of Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind: Leadership Lessons from Three Decades of Social Entrepreneurship (Rivertowns Books, 2021), a semi-autobiographical work focused on lessons in nonprofit leadership and self-care, and 3 other books. He has been published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Washington Post, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and elsewhere, and is an active blogger.