Manavi Staff And Board Of Directors

Our Staff

Maneesha Kelkar has been the Executive Director of Manavi since 2004, before which she served as a volunteer and Board member. Maneesha graduated with a Master's degree in Economic Development from American University, Washington, DC Maneesha's professional experience spans a variety of work. She has consulted for the World Bank, taught Economics and held management positions at various corporations, besides working for non profit organizations. Maneesha currently serves on the Prevention and Public Education Committee of the NJ Governor's Council against Sexual Violence, the Public Policy Committee of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network (NJIPN) and the NJ Advisory Committee for SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together). Maneesha represents Manavi on the Faculty of the Advocacy Learning Center, an ongoing nationwide training project conducted in partnership with Praxis International. In 2008, Maneesha was named a Fellow of the Women's Policy Institute at the Women's Fund of New Jersey, to conduct collaborative work in Reproductive Justice. Since 2010, she has been serving on the NJ Commission for New Americans, established to integrate the immigrant population in NJ.

Razia Meer has been the Transitional Home Coordinator at Manavi since 2003 and additionally, the Director of Direct Services since 2007. She has been actively involved in advocating for the rights of South Asian immigrants, both in the UK and the US since 1972. Razia's varied experiences in serving the South Asian Diaspora include participating in a research study at the Greater Glasgow Health Board that focused on South Asian immigrant women suffering from bone deficiencies due to neglect and abuse. As a Liaison between the courts, police department and South Asian prison inmates in Glasgow, she educated inmates about the law and their rights. At Save the Children Fund (Scotland), Razia managed a community-based center for disadvantaged families. She has also presented a South Asian music show for the BBC in Scotland. In the US, Razia taught preschool children for nine years and has been involved in community organizing to end violence against women. Razia gains her Manavi energy with the help of the hearty meals her husband makes each day.

Sasi Vishnu, the Administrative Coordinator, has a bachelor's degree from India and administrative skills training from NJ. Sasi worked as a volunteer for Manavi from 1999 to 2002. She started working at Manavi as a part-time administrative and bookkeeping coordinator in August 2002 and became full-time in 2004. An excellent cook, Sasi is always experimenting with new and innovative takes on South Indian classics. (The Manavi staff is more than happy to be her taste testers!)

Saswati Sarkar is the Technical Assistance and Training Manager at Manavi. Saswati joined Manavi in 2007 and draws upon two graduate degrees, a former role as community activist, and over 6 years of advocacy, systems change, and national and local anti-oppression training experience to develop Manavi's Technical Assistance program. Over the years, she has been involved in myriad projects in India and in the United States to raise awareness about various issues including violence against women, women's reproductive health and rights and sex selection. Saswati's interests in women's health and rights advocacy developed during her fieldwork in rural West Bengal, which informed her Master thesis on the stigmatization of women's reproductive health. Her passion for women's rights advocacy crystallized further through her work with UNICEF on their Maternal Mortality Reduction Advocacy Project - an awareness initiative to sensitize state officials, helping agencies and local population about maternal mortality in rural West Bengal (India). Saswati received her Master's in Philosophy from Jadavpur University (India) and M.S in Gender and Women's Studies from Minnesota State University.

Mary Asha Lata joined Manavi as an Ashiana Advocate in August 2010. She previously held the Counseling Coordinator position at Manavi. She graduated with a Masters in Sociology from India and has been working since 1998 in social development sectors in various capacities and environments. She has worked in the urban slums of New Delhi, and supported a number of highly successful USAID funded health and relief projects through World Vision, a humanitarian organization serving the poor in nearly 100 countries. Some of her most exciting and adventurous working experiences were in Cambodia while serving on the final evaluation team for a USAID Child Survival Program and in Kabul, Afghanistan for an OFDA funded shelter and rehabilitation project. She has also worked as a Consultant for the Environment and Health Project in Delhi to study and document the maternal and child health scenario for five districts in the then newly formed state of Jharkand, India. Mary had completed two years of her PhD thesis on Women’s empowerment and Government Policies when, marriage brought her to New Jersey in 2005.

Debjani Roy joined Manavi in February 2009 and is the Program Manager. Prior to this, she worked in women's rights and equality in London for several women's organizations including The National Alliance of Women's Organizations, Widow's Rights International, Ashiana Network and Women and Girls Network. Her diverse experience includes program management, direct service provision, communications, research, and policy advocacy. She has worked on issues such as forced marriage, 'honor' based violence, sexual trafficking, widow's rights and domestic violence. She has also edited books in the fields of Gender and Cultural Studies for the politically progressive publishing house, Pluto Press. Debjani's interest and passion for women's rights and equality began as an undergraduate at New York University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the Stern School of Business , with a minor in Gender Studies from the College of Arts and Science. She received her Master's of Arts Degree in Cultural Studies from the University of London, Goldsmiths College and holds a Certificate in Understanding Women's Human Rights from The London School of Economics.

Manisha Shah  joined Manavi in January 2011. She is the Jersey City advocate for a new project started in partnership between Manavi and Christ Hospital. Prior to working with Manavi, Manisha interned with organizations like Sakhi for South Asian Women and Sanctuary for Families in New York, where she was involved in direct services as well as developing projects related to economic empowerment and workforce development. She started her career in India as a research associate with Centre for Science and Environment and later with the Public Affairs Centre. While researching maternity wards in hospitals around Bangalore, Manisha became especially interested in gender equality. Manisha has a Master's degree in social work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and specializes in urban community development. She also has a New York social work license.

Harshika Jhaveri joined Manavi in February 2010 as the Counseling Coordinator.  Her role involves conducting support groups, volunteer orientations, and providing peer-supportive counseling to women affected by domestic violence.  Before joining Manavi, Harshika completed her Masters of Arts in Counseling at Fairleigh Dickinson University and interned at the Morris County Sexual Assault Center (MCSAC).  Harshika was a representative for MCSAC at the Jersey Battered Women Services (JBWS) committee for police procedures for domestic violence and sexual abuse. Harshika also served as the adolescent counselor for young mothers facing hardship at the Center for Great Expectations and as the intern counselor at the Morristown Memorial Hospital in the Emergency unit.  In India, Harshika worked with those affected by the Tsunami of 2004 and as an HIV/AIDS counselor for Rotary club of north-west Mumbai. With her experience Harshika seeks to make a difference in the field of social justice.

Syeda N. Sheikh joined Manavi in June of 2011 as the Legal Coordinate/Advocate, where she conducts legal clinics, expands the attorney/pro bono network, and works on Project Zamin. Before coming to Manavi, Syeda worked as a case manager at the Arab-American Family Support Center in Brooklyn, New York providing counseling, case management, translation, and advocacy. Through this position, she received extensive training in working with the Administration for Children's Services and victims of child abuse and neglect as well as victims of domestic violence. Additionally, Syeda has interned with the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations and has studied abroad in Dubai where she participated in different independent projects focused on immigrant rights. Her passion for women's rights has grown over the years from working in the feild with immigrant populations and through her role as a community advocate. Syeda completed her undergradatue degree from Seton Hall University in International Relations and Diplomacy with a minor in political science and Arabic.

Vineeta Kapahi joined Manavi as the Outreach Coordinator/ Adovacte in June 2011. Prior to this, Vineeta gained experience in immigrant and women's advocacy through working with Raksha, Inc., Manos Unidas, and Culture Connect, Inc. Vineeta's professional experience includes research, direct service provision, and program management. She completed her undergraduate studies at Bard College at Simon's Rock and Rice University, where she earned a B.A. in Sociology. At Manavi, Vineeta works to raise awareness about violence and abuse in the South Asian community by coordinating outreach events, liaising with the media, and advocating for women experiencing violence.

Our Board of Directors

Asma Warsi Chaudry is a solo practitioner in Edison, New Jersey, whose primary practice areas include immigration law, wills and estate planning and counseling small businesses. Within immigration law, Ms. Chaudry concentrates on cases dealing with the Violence against Women Act, family-based petitions, consular processing, adjustment of status, citizenship, relief from removal and immigration appeals. Ms. Chaudry was formerly the Executive Director of the Boaz Community Corporation, an immigration legal resource center in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Ms. Chaudry began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Appeals Bureau with the Office of the District Attorney, Bronx County. Ms. Chaudry is licensed to practice in New Jersey, New York and the Third Circuit. Ms. Chaudry's publications include co-authoring the chapter entitled "India and Pakistan on the Brink: Considerations for Truth, Reconciliation and Forgiveness," in Anie Kalayjian and Ray Paloutzian, Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Psychological Pathways to Conflict Transformation and Peace Building, published by Springer. Ms. Chaudry received her B.A. from Rutgers University in History & Mid-East Studies, an M.A. from New York University in Near-Eastern Studies, and a J.D. from Rutgers University, School of Law, Newark.

Bhavini Doshi joined the Manavi Board in July 2009. She has served on the board and volunteered with several community non-profit organizations, including most recently the Network of Indian Professionals, Lend-A-Hand-India and NJISACF. She received her B.A. from Rutgers University and while there was an undergraduate scholar at the Institute for Women's Leadership. At IWL, her focus was on women's economic empowerment and micro-finance, and she helped create and manage a micro-lending organization at the university. She received her J.D. from Boston College and while there served as the co-president of the South Asian Student Law Student Association. She spent a law semester in practice at the United Nations ICTY in The Hague, where she dedicated her research to the historical framework around gender violence and the prosecution of war-time violence against women. She currently practices law in the area of public finance and civil litigation at the firm DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick and Cole, LLP in Teaneck, NJ.

Vinita Jethwani joined Manavi's board in 2009, and currently serves as Board chairperson. She works as a Research Manager at the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based nonprofit organization that advances sexual and reproductive health research and policy in the United States and worldwide. Vinita has a B.A. in History from Douglass College, Rutgers University and a Masters in Public Affairs from the Hubert Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. For the past 14 years, Vinita has been devoted to issues of violence against women. She has managed multi-million dollar grants from the US Department of Justice to work with law enforcement executives to improve systematic responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking crimes. She also assisted in a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) evaluation of domestic violence and sexual assault programs, and currently serves as a consultant to the SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together). Throughout this time, Vinita has been particularly active with Manavi, assisting with evaluations, organizational development, and fundraising activities.

Nihar Sharma joined Manavi as an Ashiana volunteer in 2003 and a board member in 2010. She has been working as a Systems Analyst with Merrill Lynch since 1998. As an Ashiana volunteer she helps residents with their grocery shopping, provides transportation for errands and outings, and helps women adjust to Ashiana as their new home. Nihar also volunteers for the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey. As a board member, Nihar hopes to communicate the needs of the Ashiana residents and the challenges they face in order to stand on their feet and support themselves both financially and emotionally.

Ayesha Zafar joined the Manavi Board in June, 2010 and has been involved in Manavi's annual community dinner for the past five years. She is a Certified Public Accountant (New York) and a Chartered Accountant (UK). She has worked in senior corporate finance roles at Bristol Myers Squibb, Pepsico, and Colgate Palmolive Company. She was also senior audit manager in the New York city office of KPMG Peat Marwick. Ayesha has a B.S. in Accounting from Excelsior college of The University of the State of New York in Albany.

Former Manavi Staff

Former Manavi Board