Advisors and Trustees

Dr. Bani Bora is a development professional and educationist with nearly three decades of experience spanning academia, adult education, gender studies, and the social change. Since 1996, she has worked extensively with academic institutions, government programmes, and civil society organisations, contributing to research, teaching, training, and community-led development initiatives. Dr. Bora received her education from prestigious institutions including Assam Agricultural University, Avinashilingam University, and the University of Delhi, and specialised in Extension Education, complemented by a formal degree in Law. Her doctoral research, titled “Empowerment of Women through Gender Resource Centres in Delhi”, was a rigorous impact study of a government intervention programme implemented in collaboration with non-governmental organisations, reflecting her deep engagement with policy, practice, and grassroots realities. As a Guest Faculty at the Department of Adult, Continuing Education and Extension, University of Delhi, Dr. Bora taught Research Methodology, Counselling of Marginalised Communities, and Extension Education, shaping future practitioners and scholars. She has also served as a Visiting Scholar at the Julius-Maximilians-University, Würzburg (Germany) and the University of British Columbia (Canada). Dr. Bora’s scholarly contributions include research publications in national and international journals and authorship of two significant books: Empowerment of Marginalized Women: A Study of Gender Resource Centres in Delhi Legal Right Awareness for Women: Trainer’s Handbook Her extensive associations with national and international NGOs, academic institutions, and policy bodies have strengthened her expertise in programme planning and management, capacity building, and participatory research. Dr. Bora firmly believes that quality extension education, an empathetic approach, and people’s participation are the most powerful agents of sustainable social change. Guided by this vision, she joined hands with like-minded change-makers to establish the Centre for Social Change (CSC) in 2018, a registered charitable trust committed to literacy, lifelong learning, women’s empowerment, and inclusive community development. Her work and leadership have been recognised through several honours and professional associations, including the Ambassador for Peace Award from the Universal Peace Federation, and memberships in the Indian Adult Education Association, Mobilization: Society for Community Mobilization for Sustainable Development, and the Editorial Advisory Team of the Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education. She is also External Member ICC at NEXTROVE, GLBIM and has also served on statutory and advisory committees, including the Visiting Committee for the Home for Female Beggars, constituted by the Department of Social Welfare, Government of NCT of Delhi. As the Founder of CSC, Dr. Bani Bora continues to bridge academic rigor with grassroots action, leading the organisation with vision, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind.

Dr Mridula Seth was teaching for 25 years in the Lady Irwin College (Delhi University) and took voluntary retirement to join the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India as Technical Adviser (Adolescents & Youth) for 9 years. She is volunteering with NGOs in the area of adolescent drug abuse and mental health. Her special interest is in capacity building of field level functionaries for building life skills for empowerment of various group with special needs.
Dr Seth strongly believes in promoting partnership between academic institutions and grassroots organizations involving youth as advocates for mental health and substance abuse. She is recipient of Fulbright post-doctoral research fellowship and Tagore Literacy award.

Dr. Shankar Chowdhury has more than thirty years of experience in health, education and development sector. He worked closely with Government and Civil Society Organisation in national programmes, such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Sakshar Bharat Abhiyan, Technical & Vocational Education, Adolescence Education, AIDS and Life skills Education. Dr. Chowdhury superannuated from UNESCO Cluster Office (for Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka) located in New Delhi. As Senior Program Manager in the Education Sector, he engaged with the Governments of the above mentioned countries for advocacy and program implementation of UNESCO flagship programs such as, ‘Education for All’, ‘Literacy and Adult Education’ and ‘Preventive AIDS Education in Schools’ among others. While at UNESCO, he played key advocacy role in various UN thematic areas, such as the Common Country Assessment (CCA), United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and Joint UN Technical Assistance on AIDS (JUNTA) and was an active team member in instituting Knowledge Management Communities. In addition, he also served as a Program Specialist in Division for the Promotion of Quality Education at UNESCO HQ in Paris, where he was responsible for capacity building of member countries in developing action plans for implementing health promotion, life skills and AIDS education in schools. Prior to his UN tenure, Dr. Chowdhury was a Faculty member (Addl. Prof) at the Centre for Community Medicine, AII India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, where he taught health behavior and health promotion to medical and nursing students. In 1992, even before the Government’s response to HIV prevention (NACO), Dr. Chowdhury and team started NGO-AIDS Cell at AIIMS for spread heading HIV prevention with Civil Society partners. The focus was on capacity enhancement of CSOs to dovetail HIV and life skills related issues into their existing agenda. Dr. Chowdhury holds a PhD degree and is currently a freelance consultant - technically supporting national and International Civil Society Organizations in ending violence against children including child marriage.

Mohammad Naved is a senior development professional
with Master of Social Work (MSW) from Aligarh Muslim University and around two decades of work experience with international development agencies, Global Health and Emergency Response Organisation, National civil society and Community-based organisations, and Multinational corporation. Naved has developed sector-leading expertise and experience in shaping and leading inclusive development approaches with special focus on Gender Transformative Approach. He has hands-on experience in developing Theory of Change (ToC), Program planning and strategy development, developing M&E framework, Program implementation, Policy advocacy and Campaigns, Grant-making, Donor management, partnership management, Government Relations, Financial management, Team Management, and capacity building of multiple stakeholders on diverse issues at pan India level. He has managed a team of 20 plus mid-senior level professionals and an annual budget of $ 32 million to deliver development programmes alongside 13 local partner organisations, that includes both grassroot organisations and International NGOs, such as Care International, India, Water.org, WaterAid, Institute for Sustainable Communities etc. Naved brings on board strong experience of implementing the projects and programs on issues related to child right and child protection, education, livelihood, youth development, gender integration, health & disability and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Emergency Response in both urban and rural setting. He has been professionally associated with Gap Inc., Project HOPE (U.S.), WaterAid India (UK based charity), CREA (A feminist organisation functioning in Global South), previously with ChildFund International (US based charity), Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), International Youth Centre, and National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), GoI. He has experience of managing grants from AusAID (DFAT), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Government of India, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Several pharmaceutical companies/Project HOPE etc. Naved has presented his work on various international platforms in United Kingdom (UK), U.S. and Africa. He is a recipient of number of scholarships from The Dutch government, BMGF, World Health Organisation and Governor of Gangwon Province - Republic of Korea to present his papers/posters and participate in the technical trainings. He is a lifetime member of “National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI)

Amit Shukla is a finance management professional with around 12 years of experience sector, his technical strengths include financials management, statutory compliance, assurance and audit. he worked with IGSS, Sight Savers and AIF presently he is working with National Veterinary Foundation as a Finance Controller.

Mechanical Graduate from NIT, Rourkela, 1981 batch and started career with Engineers India Limited, New Delhi. In his professional career spanning over 41 years, he managed Mega projects in India and overseas in Oil and Gas, Refinery and Petrochemicals, Fertilizers for Companies like Indian Oil, BPCL, HPCL, ONGC,Matix Fertilizer, ESSAR Oil, Reliance Industeies and Saudi Aramco etc. Post retirement from Reliance Industeies Limited as Senior Vice President, engaged with ESSAR Group,Mumbai, for Bio Fuel and Green Energy Sector development. He is attached with various social activities for development of under privileged children for last 20 years collectively and individually. He also works on development if farmers in Odisha through application of Technology , innovation and supply chain management. He is also alumni of IIM, Ahmedabad in the area of Advanced Project Management.

Ms. Geetasree Thakur was born and brought up in Assam, one of the North-Eastern states of India. She has a strong academic background in science and technology, having completed her M.Sc. in Mathematics from Gauhati University in 1989. In the same year, she also earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications from the same university. She joined the National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, as a Group ‘B’ IT professional, and served the organisation with distinction for over 33 years. During her tenure, she worked in various capacities across different locations in the country, contributing to IT implementation and e-Governance initiatives for several departments and ministries of both State Governments and the Government of India. She opted for voluntary retirement in January 2023, slightly ahead of schedule, to explore more meaningful engagements. Alongside her professional career, Ms. Thakur has pursued her passion for the arts. She completed Bisharad in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth, a premier music institution in India. A committed music lover, she now aspires to return to regular riyaaz, which had taken a back seat during her professional years. She has also been a regular practitioner of Hatha Yoga since her college days. At present, Ms. Geetasree Thakur is keen to devote her time and experience towards social service and community development, particularly in support of the less privileged. She finds the work of the Centre for Social Change (CSC) deeply inspiring and looks forward to associating with the organisation in contributing meaningfully to its mission.

Ms. Meenaxee Medhi is a senior professional with over 35 years of rich and well-rounded experience in the hydrocarbon industry, spanning LPG and petrochemical project execution, operations and maintenance of petrochemical plants, LPG plants and pipelines, HSE and sustainability development, petrochemical marketing, R&D, and start-up operations. She has extensive experience in strategic planning, large-scale project management, and corporate governance, with a strong understanding of board-level functioning and leadership in large public sector enterprises. She has served as Nominee Director on the Board of Brahmaputra Crackers & Polymers Limited (BCPL), a subsidiary of GAIL (India) Limited, contributing to strategic oversight and governance. Ms. Meenaxee is a recipient of the Best Female Employee Award (2010) from GAIL for her outstanding contributions to the Pata Petrochemical Project and VSPL LPG Pipeline Project. She currently leads GAIL’s Start-up initiatives as Chief General Manager (R&D and Start-ups), driving innovation and sustainable growth. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical), Honours, from Assam Engineering College, Guwahati, and is a Certified Company Director (DIN: 100397360). As a CSC Board Member, Ms. Meenaxee brings strong strategic, technical, and governance expertise, strengthening CSC’s vision for sustainable, accountable, and impact-driven social change.

Ms. Nisha Rai is a distinguished legal professional, social activist, and committed volunteer associated with the Centre for Social Change (CSC) since 2019. Widely admired as a “Wonder Woman” for her multifaceted contributions, she brings to the CSC Board a rare blend of professional excellence, grassroots activism, and fearless advocacy. With an illustrious early career as a Corporate Marketing Manager, Ms. Rai worked with leading organisations including The Times of India (TOI), ICICI Prudential, IBA, Studentsguild, and Anygraphics, supported by a strong academic foundation—Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Miranda House, University of Delhi, and a Master’s in Marketing Management from Pondicherry University. In 2011, she made the courageous decision to leave corporate life to pursue her long-cherished vision of uplifting slum and jhuggi communities. This led to the founding of ARPAN Club (2012), a women-led Self-Help Group working actively in Noida, Ghaziabad, and Greater Noida. Through literacy and health drives, park schools, and school admission support, her initiatives ensure that every child acquires basic literacy, irrespective of formal school enrolment. A lifelong learner, Ms. Rai completed her LLB from CCS University, Meerut (2020) and is now an Advocate, Supreme Court of India, deeply committed to pro-bono legal support for the poor and needy. She is also a founder member of NOFAA and an active voice on civic, homebuyer, and governance issues. As a CSC Board Member, Ms. Nisha Rai contributes strategic insight, legal acumen, and unwavering commitment to transparency, social justice, women’s empowerment, and community-led change, inspiring many to believe that meaningful transformation begins with individual action.

Nayana Chowdhury is a dotted mother for twenty years with multi tasking excellence starting from family management, pursuing hobby, professional contribution in the field of education as well as maintaining social relationships in a balanced way. Nayana used to teach children from marginalised communities nearly for ten years in a formal school set up and nearly for five years in informal set up. To make teaching & learning effective Nayana used to consult child psychologist and adopt different methodologies for teaching different child. Just after completion of her post graduation in English from Dibrugarh
University, Assam, Nayana worked in Tinisukia College, Assam for a short period of time before shifting to the Northern part of India. She intends to bring change in the lives of people by creating scopes through education, developing skills and bringing awareness for the environment .

Vinod Kumar Mishra was a civil servant and retired as Dy Director General, Ministry of Defence, Govt of India. After retirement, he worked for 2 years as consultant in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports wherein he organised many sports meets at various locations in the country. Alumni of Punjab University and Ranchi University from where he did his MPhil (Public Administration) and Post Graduation (Physics) respectively he had been to France and UK during his training programme at Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi.