Our Team
A passionate team dedicated to expanding gender equality in India and around the world
My Lo Cook, Executive Director
My Lo Cook (pronounced: Mē) brings over fifteen years of experience working around the world with diverse stakeholders across disciplines and sectors, with institutions like The Center for Victims of Torture, Human Rights Watch, and Polaris to address the world's most pressing and complex issues, ranging from torture rehabilitation to refugee protection and human trafficking. She emphasizes grassroots leadership development and systems thinking to design capacity building programs and human systems that lifts up indigenous innovation, leverages existing government infrastructure, and engages the private sector. She has extensive experience building coalitions to catalyze social movement and to create systemic change, including cultivating like-minded funders to support long-term strategies and objectives. She currently lives in CO and enjoys the outdoors with her young family.
Kendra Nicolai, Director of Operations
With a MA in International Development, Kendra is a youth advocate and experienced youth programmer. She has nine years’ experience working in the nonprofit sector with a focus on youth development programs, including developing girl empowerment programs at an all-girls school in Kenya.
Upasana Saha, Director of Programs
Upasana holds an MA in Human Rights and a BA in Political Science from Presidency College, Calcutta University. She is an enthusiastic social development practitioner and a striving feminist with a rich professional experience of designing, scaling gender justice, and community-centric programs with marginalized and at-risk populations in India especially adolescents and young women and men. Prior to Shadhika, Upasana worked with nonprofit organizations such as Raleigh International (Karnataka), Child in Need Institute ( Jharkhand), CREA (Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh), and Equal Community Foundation (Maharashtra).
Sabah Siddiqui, Donor & Program Associate
Sabah has been a student of Vacha, Shadhika's grantee partner in Mumbai, for over 14 years. With a Bachelor's of Accounting & Finance from Mumbai University and an extensive experience in social work through her participation at Vacha, Sabah brings both practical and experiential expertise to her work at Shadhika. In her academic career she was a Joint Secretary of the Rotaract Club and the Head of the Women Development Cell's Department in her college. She loves to write poems, articles & "Gazal" in Hindi, Urdu and English. She wants to make changes in her community related to discrimination and girl's education. Her favorite lines from one of her poems is: "She is a Dreamer... She has uncounted dreams".
Jenna Sweig, Development Coordinator
Inspired by innovative ventures that have the potential to create widespread, sustainable change, Jenna is thrilled to join Shadhika as the development coordinator. Currently working on completing in MS in Nonprofit Management and social innovation, she has extensive experience working with nonprofits and social enterprises in the international development sector, including working with a small nonprofit in Udaipur, India to develop and implement women’s health and empowerment workshops.
Vanita Ganesh, Digital Media Coordinator
Vanita holds an MA in Women's Studies from TISS and a BA in English Literature from Delhi University. She has experience in the media and the non-profit sector, having covered pressing feminist issues and having supported the execution of campaigns on girls’ education. Unapologetic feminist, coffee enthusiast, bookworm.
Harshita Pandey, Program Officer
Harshita is a social work practitioner with a ceaseless enthusiasm for operationalizing feminist principles in various aspects of development practice. She has a Masters in Social Work in Women Centred Practice from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She comes with a rich experience of working with adolescent girls and boys in rural Madhya Pradesh where she worked with a community engaged in caste-based intergenerational commercial sex.
Sunil Gangavane, Program Officer
Sunil is a facilitator and development practitioner with a rich experience in working with grassroots organisations and marginalised communities, especially girls, Dalit and LGBT youth. He has extensive experience in facilitating youth-led participatory action research projects. Sunil has a postgraduate diploma in development education from Maynooth University as well as an MA in Psychology from the University of Mumbai. He enjoys gardening and travelling in his spare time.
Staff
My Lo Cook
Executive Director
Colorado Springs, CO
Kendra Nicolai
Director of Operations
Denver, CO
Upasana Saha
Director of Programs
Pune, India
Sabah Siddiqui
Donor & Program Associate
Mumbai, India
Jenna Sweig
Development Coordinator
Denver, CO
Vanita Ganesh
Digital Media Coordinator
Mumbai, India
Harshita Pandey
Program Officer
Delhi, India
Sunil Gangavane
Program Officer
Mumbai, India
Lisa Acree, Board Chair
Lisa has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 25 years, primarily in the areas of community and economic development, and corporate responsibility, most recently as the chief operating officer at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), where she focused on leadership and organizational development. A world traveler, she served in the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa, for three years, and has lived and worked in Japan and Mexico.
Vanessa Chauhan, Board Secretary
Vanessa is an independent subject matter consultant with 15 years of expertise working on issues of human trafficking and gender-based violence. She has acquired a unique speciality in creating highly customized, intensive training and consulting engagements to develop effective, sustainable, multi-disciplinary and survivor-centered responses to these crimes. Vanessa brings her empowerment and feminist-driven passion for social justice and equity to Shadhika and its program constituents and stakeholders. Vanessa is originally from Zambia and currently resides in Frankfort, KY. She loves to travel and eat her way around the world.
Thresia "Teena" Sebastian, Board Member
Thresia (Teena) Sebastian is a pediatrician with a specialization in public health. Currently she practices clinical medicine in an urgent care while also overseeing pediatric research studies in infectious diseases. Prior to this current position, Teena and her family lived in southern Africa (Mozambique and Eswatini) for 9 years focusing on HIV care, treatment and prevention for children and their families. Originally from Kerala, India, Teena has lived in many places throughout the US and the world. She currently resides in Denver, Colorado with her family.
Uma Iyer, Board Member
Uma Mehta Iyer is a social impact strategist and data-driven storyteller with almost two decades of experience working in brand management, marketing, strategic communications, and revenue generation. Currently Vice President for Marketing & Communications at the National Women's Law Center, Ms. Iyer oversees media relations and digital and field organizing strategies, manages crisis communications, and leads efforts to build the organization's national brand visibility. Prior to joining NWLC, Ms. Iyer spent her career working to advance gender equality, public health, and civic engagement, and has spoken across the country on issues of youth engagement, gender equality, and social impact. She studied Political Science and Economics at the University of Houston, and resides in Washington, DC with her family.
Diane Sigel, Board Member
For 30+ years, Diane served as CEO for the family business, Duffle Bag, Inc., and knows the challenges of a woman working in a man’s world and has succeeded in establishing herself as a leader in a male-dominated field. Diane is dedicated to sharing her skills and her knowledge as a mentor, advisor, and sounding board for local, regional and national nonprofits from Hadassah to arts organizations and academic councils.
Tara Risser, Board Member
Tara Risser is a senior executive in the technology sector who for nearly 20 years has led teams and spearheaded transformations to deliver a simpler, better way to do business. Currently President, Americas, Tara is responsible for management, strategy and growth in the Americas region, including operations in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and the U.S. at Equinix, the world’s digital infrastructure company. A champion of diversity and inclusion, Tara is deeply engaged in efforts both within her company and externally. Tara holds an M.S. in business from University of Colorado, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. She lives in Golden, Colorado with her husband, their two sons and an energetic dog.
Menka Lamba, Treasurer
Menka Lamba is a Senior Director of Marketing & Investor Relations at AGL Credit Management, LP. Since 2003, Menka has worked in the asset management industry and has raised over $2 billion in asset allocations through her career. Menka is passionate about gender equality and education and is humbled to serve on Shadhika's board and as its Treasurer. Menka received her BA from Wellesley College and her MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
Board members
Join Our Team
We are always looking for passionate and creative individuals to join our team and help further our mission. Take a look at open roles.
Open roles