Visionary nonprofit leader, choreographer, educator, and performing artist with 15+ years in nonprofit management, grant administration, and arts programming. Recognized for innovative program and curriculum design, sustained arts advocacy, and success in strategic planning, cross-sector collaboration, and community engagement. Combines executive leadership and administrative acumen with deep artistic practice and an unwavering commitment to commitment to equity.
Career Highlights & Accomplishments
Significantly increased earned income and contributed revenue to strengthen organizational sustainability.
Supervised curation, planning, and execution of artistic performances, studio classes, and community events across Chicago.
Developed innovative South Asian arts education programs for early childhood, K–12 students, families, and seniors.
Secured $25,000 Arts Work Fund grant to expand arts education initiatives.
Executive Director
Kalapriya
2024-2025
Senior Program Director
Interim Executive Director
Director of New York Programs
Program Coordinator
Arts Horizons
2016-2024
Managed annual portfolio of 150-200 arts programs and a diverse roster of over 100 teaching artists & performing groups.
Secured $400,000+ of grant-based programs through NYC city agencies, Kennedy Center, & several corporations.
Developed innovative, customizable arts education programs promoting culturally responsive pedagogy, linguistic diversity, wellness, & social justice with robust evaluation protocols.
Strengthened board involvement through initiatives for organizational restructuring, consultant contracting, & debt reduction.
Served on senior management team to set annual budgets, evaluate quarterly goals, and lead strategic planning.
Launched professional development and mentorship programs to transition teaching artists to virtual learning during COVID-19 pandemic.
Co-founder
Artistic Director
Daya Arts
2017-2024
Established in 2017 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to bridge diasporic communities of color through cross-cultural and educative artistic productions rooted in West African and South Asian visual and performing arts.
Organized two sold-out showcases of South Asian LGBTQI+ artists at BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance and produced three evening-length dance-theater works.
Raised $20,000+ towards public events, charitable donations, & artistic productions.
Adjunct Dance Faculty
Marymount Manhattan College
2020-2021
Taught a two-semester course for third-year dance majors to learn and apply foundational Bharatanatyam (Indian classical dance) technique, aesthetics, and musicality to their own embodied practice.
Created movement-based exercises with composer Moira Lo Bianco rooted in non-Western choreographic and musical structures.
Teaching Artist
United States & India
2009-Present
Specializes in interactive workshops and lectures integrating Indian classical dance, neuroscience, choreography, and aesthetics.
Developed Indian classical dance curricula for Grades K-12 with curriculum links to literacy, science, social studies, history, and English.
Delivered workshops, lectures, and teaching artist residencies at key universities and cultural institutions nationally and internationally.
Education
M.A. – Performance Studies (2015)
New York University – New York, NY, USA
M.A. – Bharatanatyam (2010)
University of Madras – Chennai, India
First Class Outstanding
B.A. – Behavioral Neuroscience & Spanish (2008)
Boston University – Boston, MA, USA
Magna Cum Laude
Key Skills
Non-Profit Leadership & Strategic Planning
Program & Curriculum Design
Community & Cross-Sector Project Management
Fundraising & Stakeholder Engagement
Arts & Culture Advocacy
Languages
English (Native/Bilingual Fluency)
Tamil (Native/Bilingual Fluency)
Spanish (Full Professional Proficiency)
French (Professional Working Proficiency)
Technical Skills
Finance: QuickBooks & Paychex
Microsoft: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, & SharePoint
Google: Drive, Docs, Sheets, & Slides
CRM: Little Green Light & Mindbody
Adobe: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, & Acrobat DC
Other: Canva, Squarespace, Acuity Scheduling, & Mailchimp
Affiliations
Member (2016-Present)
Association of Performing Arts Professionals
National Dance Educators Organization
International Dance Council UNESCO
Advisory Board Member (2023-2025)
Berrie Center @ Ramapo College of New Jersey
Committee Member (2019-2022)
DEI Working Group, Kennedy Center
Certifications
Substitute Teacher License (2026-Present)
Illinois State Board of Education
Mandated Reporter (2024)
Illinois Department of Children & Family Services
Affirming LGBTQIA+ Identities in Schools (2023)
New Jersey Division of Civil Rights
Non-Profit Organizational Capacity Building (2023)
New York City Council
Incubator for Arts & Culture Leaders of Color (2022)
New York Foundation for the Arts
Notary Public (2022-2027)
State of New Jersey