MEET OUR ADVISORY BOARD
Shipra Verma
Teacher at Sacred Heart School
Shipra is currently working as an English Teacher at Sacred Heart School, Daltonganj, Jharkhand. She has over ten years of teaching experience at different government and private institutions. She has a master’s and B.Ed. Degree in English from Ranchi University. She has worked in various community driven and social projects on education, women empowerment, and skill development around rural areas of Jharkhand. She has been a part of different institutions like K.G.B.V. Chainpur (Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan), K.G.B.V. Patan (Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan), Women College of Commerce (science & arts), and V.P.M. Gyan Niketan School. She is specialized in management skill, analytical ability, continuous learning, and development.
Dr. Biswabandita Kar
Dean at Applied Sc Dept. KIIT University
Dr. Biswabandita is currently the Dean, Research and Development Cell & Associate Prof, Dept of Chemistry, School of Applied Sciences KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. She has over 20 years of experience in research and development in Environmental Science, Climate Change Metallurgical Sciences, Extractive Metallurgy and Clean & Green Energy. Her subjects of expertise are characterization of spent catalyst, extraction of metals from spent catalyst, waste utilization, value added products from electronic waste, environmental pollution, acid-rain, utilization of fly ash, kinetics of gas-phase reactions and microwave roasting method. She has worked with different institutions and organizations such as IIT Kharagpur Institute of Mineral and Material Technology; Haldia Refinery, Durgapur; Hindustan Zinc Limited, Udaipur.
Manvel Alur
Envirnomentalist
Manvel has over 25 years of experience in environmental management, climate change mitigation, education, and sustainable business planning. She has a master’s Degree in Environmental Studies from Aberdeen University, Scotland. She has worked for over 15 years on various community development projects viz. as a voluntary tutor for CMCA (an NGO seeking to educate children on rights and responsibilities); as an active member of the Residents Welfare Association; and other communities programs including in the development of lakes, roads, and parks. Manvel has worked extensively with international agencies such as The World Bank, ADB, USAID, UNEP, UNDP, ADB, in addition to various Central and State Government Agencies both in India and the USA.
Pratik Kumar
Executive Director at "Buildaclasss"
Pratik Kumar is the Executive Director of "Build a Class" initiative. He has a B. Tech degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi and is from the 1992 batch of the Indian Civil Services. During his career, spanning over two and a half decades, he has worked with the UN, International NGOs, Indian Government and the private sector. He is the Founder Director of Sashakt Foundation, an NGO that works with adolescent girls and on waste management. He is the President of Prayatna, a society that works on Gandhian principles. He is also the Director of Aakar Social Ventures, an NGO that works on Menstrual Hygiene. He has developed policies and led advocacy efforts on various issues and has extensive experience in the areas of education, health, gender, nutrition, water and sanitation, youth development, and livelihood.
Krishan Kumar
Director at North Delhi Municipal Corporation
Krishan Kumar is an Officer at Delhi Andaman Nicobar Island Civil Services (DANICS), which is equivalent to IAS in the Union Territories States of India. He is currently the Director of Education at North Delhi Municipal Corporation. He has served as Additional Commissioner in the Department of Industries, Government of India; Director-Delhi Khadi Village Industries Board; General Manager- Society of self-employment, Government of Delhi; Collector- Diu (Dadra Nagar Haveli); Director- Education (Dadra Nagar Haveli); Director- Delhi Financial Development Corporation; Director-Technical Education, Government of Delhi; Director- Delhi Rehabilitation Board. While serving as a collector in Diu, he implemented entrepreneurship and skill development projects for fishermen and women. His efforts have developed a skilled workforce and were much appreciated during the Commonwealth Games and Metro projects.
Shane Duckworth
Shane is a licensed engineer in U.S. and Canada and is involved with several clean energy initiatives in agricultural, community, and lighting sectors. He has spent seven years developing a hybrid solar electric-thermal power plant, with installations in three North American states. Before that, he was part owner in a civil/structural/geotechnical consulting firm, where he conducted geotechnical explorations and designed retaining walls and shoring in Colorado's challenging mountainous terrains. He has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering, both from the University of British Columbia, Canada. He is a Certified PV Installation Professional through the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners.
Dr. U P Singh
Dr. Udai Pratap Singh is currently a Senior Prof. at School of Electronics Engineering, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. He has Post Doc from the University of Delaware, USA and Ph.D. from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He has 25 years of experience in research and teaching on solar thin films fabrication, solar photovoltaic cells, relevant materials, semiconductors, circuits designs, characterization with different specifics tools on materials. He has worked extensively with international agencies like Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Institute of Energy Conversion, (University Center for Excellence in PV Research and Education) Univ. of Delaware, USA; T.D Post Graduate College, Jaunpur, U.P; GLOBAL SOLAR ENERGY (I) LTD, (earlier known as Polyplex Corporation) Gurgaon. He is also involved in social and cultural events in the University.
Abhishek Pradhan
Abhishek has more than 12 years of corporate experience in communication industries such as Bharti Airtel Ltd, Alcatel-Lucent JV, Idea Cellular Limited, Sterlite Networks Ltd, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. He has an MBA (DLP) in Marketing from IMT Ghaziabad and B.E in Electronics and Telecommunication from NIT, Bhopal, MP. He specializes in Project Management, Network Management, Technical support and Client servicing in a reputed organization in Telecom Sector. He is involved in many social and developmental works such as teaching, women empowerment and helping rural communities on interface with smart and cashless interventions. He has specialization in FTTH network, LSPM, OTDR testing conceptualization, CAPEX control, Route Optimization, Budgeting, and Site Survey for installation, Testing, GIS updating and Hand-over.
Pratyush Kumar
Pratyush has over 16 years of enriching experience in the financial service industry where he held senior management positions with MNCs like HSBC, Northern Trust, Deutsche Bank and HCL. A resident of New Delhi, he has traveled around widely and has worked extensively in Bangalore, Sydney, Singapore, London, and Chicago. Pratyush graduated from JNU, New Delhi and completed his Masters in Mass Communication from IIMC, New Delhi. He has also attended several senior management programs including Quality Management - Six Sigma Black Belt from Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore. Concerned with the plight of gullible parents and innocent children, in 2016, he started non-profit hospitals in India named New Delhi Children’s Hospital & Research Centre.
Shubhanjan Sengupta
Subhanjan has a diverse educational background, of Business Management and English Literature. He did his Executive Education from IIM Ahmedabad on Case Teaching Method, which was co-certified by Harvard Business Publishing. He did his Masters in International Management from the University of Poitiers, France, which is a prestigious European University. He is pursuing his PhD from Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) on renewable energy social enterprises working at remote locations in rural India. He is passionate about research and loves working at the grassroots on issues related to sustainable development and social entrepreneurship.
Kelly Duckworth