Indira Kumar is Vice President of Ask International Inc. CPAs and Partner of Guilliams & Associates, Certified Public Accountants in Virginia.
She is one of the founding members, trustee and board member. She is also a member of The Indian International School and Cultural Center, a non-profit based in Northern VA since 1982. She has keen interest in working with immigrants to help them keep their identity, culture and values of their homeland alive and blend with the culture and values of our adopted homeland.
She is very active in mentoring and believes in women empowerment both in the U.S. and abroad.
Shreejana Uprety holds a Master of Science degree in Economics and Finance from Southern Illinois University, and also has a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. She worked as a college lecturer in Economics & English from 2001 to 2006 and was involved in various national and international development organizations like the United Nations, Lions Club and various women’s and children’s empowerment organizations in the capacity of a national-level consultant.
She is studying towards becoming an Ayurvedic Practitioner. Due to her passion in holistic health, she has also earned a degree to become a Certified Core Power Yoga and Hatha Yoga Instructor and has been practicing yoga for the past 10 years and teaching in various communities and the private sector. She is working in the capacity of the Overseas Vice President at the Global Economic Foundation.
Hemanth holds an MBA in Information Management Systems from the University of Houston and has been working in IT for over 20 years. In the IT line of work, he specializes in Data Integration and Analytics. He is the founder of the non-profit organization, Smiles for School Supplies that supports two orphanages in India by providing children much needed school supplies for the entire academic year. In addition, the Smiles for School Supplies initiative at this time also supports an old age home also located in Andhra Pradesh, India by providing them essentials for daily care of the elderly.
He is recently involved in supporting a Gurukul style orphanage in Nepal and plans to expand on that project further. He has plans to start a Ghoshala as well alongside the orphanage in Nepal.
He is passionate about leading a Satvik diet and Dharmic lifestyle and being involved in any and all social welfare programs that serve the needy and underprivileged.
Experienced advocate, speaker, researcher, teacher, negotiator, writer and practitioner with expertise in conflict analysis and resolution, policy advocacy for social justice and program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Regional expertise in Asia and South Asia. Technical expertise in implementation and evaluation of peace-building, state building, reconciliation, governance and civil society programs. Extensive expertise designing and implementing programs for NGOs, diplomatic community, security personnel, civil-military relations and non-state actors. Adept at working in complex operations, transitional, conflict and post-conflict reconstruction areas. Expert in qualitative and quantitative research and evaluation methods. Experienced in forging partnership for policy positions and advocated for policy recommendations to Nepal’s government, parliament and international community. Expertise in relation building with parliamentarians, politicians, diplomatic community and local and national NGOs. Experienced in conflict-sensitive programming for sustainable social and economic development through innovative integration of development and gender and conflict sensitive programming and methodologies with focus on the objective of reducing state and social fragility. Subject matter expert in political parties and democratization.
Born in Nagano, Japan in 1951; Studied English at Kanagawa Foreign Study College; Worked with an ethnic minority support organization, and a creative jewelry company in 1970s, married and came to the United States in 1981; lived in New York City, 1981-1986; treasurer (volunteer), the Sekai Nippo New York Bureau, 1981-1986, treasurer (volunteer), the Sekai Nippo Washington Bureau, 1986-2000; Northern Virginia outreach volunteer, Universal Peace Federation, 2006 to Present; American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) Northern Virginia Coordinator, 2002 to Present; Married to Yuji Yokoyama, four children and four grandchildren.
Ms. Sujwala Puttagunta (Su) has two decades of experience in launching and owning successful startups across various industries, including international trade, healthcare, IT, and retail. She specializes in commercializing new technologies for niche markets and has led complex, cross-cultural ventures involving corporations and wealthy individuals worldwide. Su is a trusted advisor to corporate executives and government leaders globally. She holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University, along with degrees in Computer Science and Engineering. Su also serves as an advisor to the Federal Allies on Biosciences Committee.
Vandana Chandra has over 20 years of experience in international development in developing countries. In 2017, she retired from the World Bank where she worked on regional, country- and sector-specific policy solutions for governments grappling with the challenges of economic growth, catch-up and job-creation. Drawing on her academic training at Duke University (Master’s), the Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D.), and teaching experience at the University of Georgia (US), Vandana has designed training programs tailored for government officials, private sector and consulting firms in Africa, Vienna and the Middle East in the areas of growth and job-creation with a focus on economic diversification, competitiveness, structural transformation, and technological innovation, as well as monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects. Presently, she is developing a toolkit for how small and medium enterprises in developing countries can hook-up with global value chains.
On a different note, Vandana is engaged with Laurels, an experimental English-medium school for village kids aimed at enabling them to break through the invisible language barrier and leap from the village to a professional life in the cities. Vandana is the Managing Director of Economic Growth and Transformation (EGAT) in Virginia, U.S, and also consults privately. Her publications include Light Manufacturing in Africa which explores what Ethiopia can to do to compete with China and Vietnam. In Technology, Adaptation and Exports: How Some Developing Countries Did It, she highlights “how” governments fostered nascent export sectors, and in Innovation and Growth: Chasing a Moving Frontier she shows why innovation-targeted policies are necessary for global competition.
Roger Guilliams is a Virginia-based Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He has completed Bachelor in Business Administration from American University, Washington DC and numerous training programs in the field. His work experience in CPA includes Automatic Enterprises, Inc. and Sinrod & Tash, CPAs & Attorneys. Mr. Roger has been a senior a partner at ASK International, Inc. since 2000. He has expertise in budgeting, internal audit procedures, bankruptcy filings, and income tax preparation and planning, among others.
Arthur Lovelace has done Business Administration and Accounting form Clovis N Bonhomme College, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He has extensive experience in public and private sector in the United States of America, and abroad. Since 2009, he has been associated with ASKi, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia. He has worked in various accounting firms in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia area. He is multi-talented – from accounting, conflict resolution to singer and music composer. He is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Creole.
Dinesh Khatri is a practitioner of Hatha Yoga: Inner Engineering and Medication Techniques. He has done his Doctor of Philosophy in Yoga and Management. He has been associated as a yoga teacher and health advisor since July 1995 in premier Indian colleges. He has been teaching Ayurved, Nature Cure and Spa Program to aspirants throughout the world. Besides this he also has expertise in financial matters, budget, trail balances, profit and loss accounts, planning related works of engineering department, tenders and negotiations, among others.
