Visionary executive director, choreographer, educator, and performer with 15+ years in nonprofit management, grant administration, and arts programming. Recognized for innovative, inclusive program and curriculum design, tireless arts advocacy, and success in strategic planning, cross-sector collaboration, and community engagement. Combines executive leadership and administrative acumen with deep artistic practice and commitment to equity and community upliftment.
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 for long-term organizational growth.
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
Introduced third-year dance majors to technical, aesthetic, and cultural aspects of Bharatanatyam (Indian classical dance) with direction applications to their own practice
Designed novel exercises with composer Moira Lo Bianco to hone musicality through non-Western choreographic and musical structures.
Teaching Artist
New York & Chicago
2015-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.
Key Skills
Non-Profit Leadership & Strategic Planning
Program & Curriculum Design
Community & Cross-Sector Project Management
Fundraising & Stakeholder Engagement
Languages
English (Native/Bilingual Fluency)
Tamil (Native/Bilingual Fluency)
Spanish (Full Professional Proficiency)
French (Professional Working Proficiency)
Technical Skills
Adobe Creative Suite
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, & Acrobat DC
Microsoft Office Suite
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, & Access
Google Workplace
Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, & Forms
Industry-Specific Apps
Blackboard, Canva, OpenTable, MindBody, Little Green Light, Squarespace, Mailchimp, & SPSS
Affiliations
Advisory Board Member (2023-2025)
Berrie Center @ Ramapo College of New Jersey
Committee Member (2019-2022)
DEI Working Group, Kennedy Center
Member (2012-Present)
International Dance Council UNESCO
Certifications
Notary Public (valid until 2027)
State of New Jersey
Mandated Reporter (2024)
State of Illinois
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
Educator Fingerprinting (2015-Present)
New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) & Chicago Public Schools (CPS)