Our governing Board
For 40 years, VIDYA has been guided by people who give their expertise to a cause, educationists, social leaders, scientists, and senior professionals across our North, West, and South zones. The Board sets our direction, safeguards our integrity, and holds us accountable to the communities we serve and the partners who fund us.
15 board members · Three zones (North / West / South) · Founded 1985 · Board meets twice a year · 8 independent members
Founder President
Ms. Rashmi Misra
Rashmi Misra founded VIDYA in 1985, teaching a small group of children in her home. Four decades on, that effort has grown into a national movement spanning schools, beyond-school programmes, vocational training, women's empowerment, and community outreach across India. A recognised social leader and visionary, she has built VIDYA into a credible force in Indian education — reflected in honours such as the British Council International School Award earned by the VIDYA School. Her leadership rests on one conviction: education is the most durable route out of disadvantage.
Vice Presidents
Ms. Malavika Goyal - Vice President, North Zone
A long-standing board member, Malavika built and strengthened VIDYA's volunteer programme and helped extend education to the children, youth, and women of the Pappankalan community in Dwarka. As a Vice President she has shaped VIDYA's administration and management systems. Educated at Modern School, Delhi, she holds a BA (Hons) in English from Miranda House, University of Delhi. She studied Japanese, worked in Japan, and served as a Japanese-language guide to visiting dignitaries, including the President of the Asian Development Bank in Delhi.
Ms. Pratima Goel - Vice President, North Zone
A social worker, mental-health advocate, writer, and artist, Pratima works at the intersection of psychology and education. As a psychologist and facilitator she has helped build VIDYA's counselling and life-skills support across community centres and schools, connecting individuals with the confidence to make lasting, healthy change. She is also involved in imparting vocational skills to women in the community.
Dr. Nayan Dabholkar — Vice President, West Zone
Nayan Dabholkar is Chief Manager at IIT Bombay, having earlier served as Section Officer at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and as Duty Officer at TIFR. Under his charge, IIT Bombay's facilities saw gains in team productivity, office computerisation, and infrastructure; as Public Relations Officer he initiated the Institute Staff Handbook. He holds master's degrees in Business Management and Public Administration, diplomas in Local Self-Government and Business Management,
Ms Jhanvi Vissanji — Vice President, West Zone
An educator, counsellor, and wellness practitioner with three decades of experience, Jhanvi holds a B.Com from the University of Mumbai and advanced training in counselling and psychotherapy (SNDT Women's University; international programmes in NLP, hypnotherapy, and systemic constellations). Associated with VIDYA since 2009, she leads teacher training, life-skills sessions, and parent-engagement programmes, and was honoured by the Rotary Club for her contribution to municipal-school education. She is a Partner at Ashok Veneers LLP.
Mr Neeraj Verma — Vice President, South Zone
A strategic leader in finance and supply chain, Neeraj brings expertise across financial operations, supply-chain management, CRM, MIS, data and analytics, and BPO, with strengths in project management and Six Sigma. Engaged with VIDYA across the South, North, and West zones, he has strengthened internal systems and guided the finance, administration, and HR functions toward stronger governance, including helping establish dedicated finance capacity in Bangalore. His approach emphasises accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Ms Nivedita Mukherjee — Vice President, South Zone
An education and communication professional with over 30 years in leadership roles, Nivedita mentors the leadership teams of educational institutions and advises school management across private, NGO, and CSR settings. She brings this experience to VIDYA's work in the South Zone.
Board Members
Ms Indu Mahajan
A founding-era educationist, Indu was instrumental in establishing VIDYA's Okhla community centre and mentored VIDYA's first school project, Bal Vihar, in South Delhi. She remains a steady presence in VIDYA's pedagogy and community work and is also active with the Rotary Club.
Ms Meenakshi Roy
A Gold Medalist in MA English, Meenakshi has over 24 years as an educationist in both teaching and leadership — Senior School Coordinator, CIE Coordinator, IB Head, and School Principal. She was Principal of VIDYA School, Gurugram (June 2009–September 2014) and has served on the VIDYA board since 2015.
Ms Sarita Shahi
An educationist with a master's in English and a B.Ed., Sarita taught English for many years at Modern School, New Delhi. In recent years she has supported VIDYA Gurugram as a resource person and through fundraising.
Ms Shivani Wazir Pasrich
A former Miss India Worldwide, actor, and acclaimed Odissi dancer, Shivani is Director of The Study School (since 2019), Chairperson of the Commonwealth Society of India, Founder of the Commonwealth Cultural Forum, and CEO & Managing Director of SWP Productions. She holds an Economics (Hons) degree from Lady Shri Ram College and a law degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi.
Ms Vaishali Nigam Sinha
Co-founder of ReNew (a leading decarbonisation company listed on NASDAQ) and its Chief Sustainability, CSR & Communications Officer, Vaishali drives the ReNew India Initiative. A prominent voice on climate, women's entrepreneurship, and leadership, she has spoken at the Clinton Global Initiative and the UN Global Compact, serves on advisory bodies at Columbia University and Wellesley College, and chairs or co-chairs committees of CII and the UN Global Compact Network India. She holds a master's in Public Policy from Columbia and completed Harvard Business School's OPM programme.
Dr Pratibha Jolly
A distinguished academic and physicist, Dr Jolly was Principal of Miranda House, University of Delhi (2005–2019), which ranked first nationally under the NIRF. A Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences India (FNASc) and of the Institute of Physics, UK (FInstP), she is a NASI Science & Society Fellow and Principal Investigator of the GATI (Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions) framework. She has served as Academic Consultant to NAAC, Chair of the International Commission on Physics Education (IUPAP C14), and Vice President of IUPAP, and is known for advancing technology in teaching and women in science.
Ms Alpna Manchanda
A communications and digital-marketing specialist with a postgraduate degree in Advertising & Marketing and a BA (Hons) in Economics, Alpna held senior creative roles including Executive Creative Director at Wunderman International and MRM McCann Worldgroup. A VIDYA volunteer since 1999, she helped grow a bridge course from 17 students to more than 400 a year and contributes across fundraising and computer-education initiatives.
Dr Suman Sharma
An academician with over four decades in teaching, research, and administration, Dr Sharma holds a PhD in South Asian Studies from JNU and M.Phil./MA degrees in Political Science from the University of Delhi. She was Principal of Lady Shri Ram College for Women (2015–2025) and is a Professor of Political Science at Motilal Nehru College. She has worked with the UGC and NAAC on accreditation and SWAYAM MOOCs, led ICSSR- and UGC-funded research, and received the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam National Dedication Award (2023).