Our Team

Abhimanyu works in the EdTech team where he currently focuses on improving and scaling various edtech products catering to the FLN segment to ensure continued learning at home. Prior to CSF, he worked with 321 Education Foundation after completing the Teach For India (TFI) Fellowship in 2017. At 321, he collaborated with more than 30 low-cost private schools across Mumbai and Bangalore to improve classroom instructional practices and student mastery in grades K-3. As a TFI Fellow, Abhimanyu taught 37 students in grades 2 and 3 in Ahmedabad. He holds an MBA in Strategy from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and an undergraduate degree in engineering from NMIMS, Mumbai. In his free time, he enjoys watching Formula 1, exploring the best food joints in town and travelling to new destinations.

Abhishek works in the Classroom Instruction and Practice team as a project manager, overlooking the monitoring of FLN programs in specific demonstration districts. Prior to CSF, he managed and led multiple CBSE projects including CTET, working in the Government Project team. Prior to CSF, Abhishek worked with TFI and 321 Education Foundation. At 321, he worked as a Kaizen Manager on the monitoring aspects of the school strengthening/teacher training programs. During his time as a TFI fellow, he taught Maths to 210 students in a government school and iTeach school across 2 years. Abhishek is a Commerce graduate from National PG College, Lucknow University. During his free time, he can be found solving puzzles, number problems, and travelling.

Abhishek works with the State FLN Projects team in Bihar, supporting the state in the implementation of the FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) program. Abhishek has had a diverse experience working in the Social Impact sector prior to CSF, including, among others, Mantra4change, Educate Girls, and Gandhi Fellowship. Abhishek holds a Masters’s degree in Education from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. Abhishek is an avid reader who loves to read and know anything and everything that comes under the Sun.

Aditi works on Early Childhood Education within the Partnerships and New Initiatives team at CSF. Her work focuses on two areas: state projects and salience building. In her previous role at CSF, she was with the Private Schools (Governance) team wherein she worked on assessments for grades 3, 5, and 8. She joined CSF in 2019 after completing her Masters in International Education Policy from Harvard University. Previously, she worked with Teach For India in Hyderabad as a Teaching Fellow and Program Manager. Deep curiosity to understand systems better and work with complex problems motivated her to move away from an engineering background. She enjoys reading, watching TV shows, cooking new recipes, and planning her next trip back home!

Aditya Narayan Rai works with the Public Governance team as a Project Consultant and is based out of Sitapur. He is a Public Policy graduate from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. Before joining CSF, he worked as a Research Fellow with the Inclusive Education team at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. He has also worked in policy research and policy implementation roles at Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement, Mysuru and Jharkhand State Livelihoods Promotion Society. His area of interest includes Education and Governance and he loves to explore and learn new techniques to analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative datasets. In his free time, he enjoys travelling and playing/watching/discussing about the sports world (cricket and lawn tennis in particular).

Aiman works with the IPEL team as a Program Manager and is based out of Delhi. She is a graduate in Law and a Post Graduate in Political Studies from Aligarh Muslim University. She has her expertise in campaigns, strategic communication and planning. Before joining CSF, she has worked with various political consulting firms including Indian Political Action Committee; different political parties in several states including Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and esteemed stakeholders in addition to the National President of All India Mahila Congress. Aiman is also a political commentator and often writes for media outlets like The Telegraph and The Wire, among others.

Akshay works in the State Reform team, supporting the Haryana state in the implementation of the NIPUN Bharat Mission. Currently, his key responsibilities include monitoring, capacity building and operational support for the NIPUN Haryana Mission. Previously, he worked as an IB analyst in the Consumer & Retail sector at Bank of America. Akshay holds a postgraduate diploma in management from IIM Kozhikode and a bachelor’s in business studies from Delhi University. In his free time, he can be found making impromptu trips to Himachal or thinking about making impromptu trips to Himachal.

Dr Amit Chandra is a social development professional with expertise in public policy strategies to address some of the most important issues of the time such as school education, urban livelihoods, and governance. Amit currently works with Central Square Foundation as a Senior Consultant. Previously, he has worked with the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) as an Associate Director leading the policy advisory vertical of the organization and with The Asia Foundation (TAF), as the ‘International Consultant’ in Kabul. He has also led Jeevika Campaign as the ‘National Coordinator’ advocating issues of the sector. His work has played an important role in shaping up National Urban Street Vending Act 2014, amendments to the India Forest Act 1927, amendments to the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act 2006, and initiatives taken under the Ease of Doing Business campaign by the Government of India. Amit is a graduate in Commerce, post-graduate and Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Work. He has also graduated with Think Tank MBA from Atlas Economic Research Foundation, the USA in 2008, ‘Globalization and Market Economy’ in 2010 and ‘Liberal Education Policy’ in 2016 from the International Academy of Leadership, Germany. He is an alumnus of Atlas Leadership Academy. He has been a participant in the ‘International Youth Exchange Program’ between India and Canada in the year 2006-2007. His work and views have been widely quoted in media and academic publications.

Amola works with the Government Partnerships team which works in tandem with the Central government on education strategy and policy. Currently her work focuses on pedagogical capacity building, secondary education assessments, and education financial outlays. She joined CSF after graduating from Ashoka University with a degree in Political Science. Her motivation for joining the development sector stems primarily from her own interest in education, but also her hopes of seeing change up close. Her time outside of work is spent chasing her two cats, bouldering, and travelling as much as she can.

Anirudh works as a Consultant in the EdTech team supporting the overall program management for the PAL research project in Andhra Pradesh. He has previously worked with the governments of Punjab, NCT of Delhi, and Tamil Nadu on projects such as — improving access to public health, retail and wholesale market development, and tribal welfare initiatives. Prior to these stints, he worked as a business manager at Internshala wherein he was working to bridge the gap between millions of employers and jobseekers in the country. He holds a master’s degree in development studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from Amrita University. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, exploring new places, and catching-up with the latest happenings in the world of politics.

Ankit works as a Senior Project Lead in Government Partnerships team which supports central government stakeholders like Ministry of Education and Central Board of Secondary Education in drafting and implementing educational policies. Prior to joining CSF, he was working as a management consultant and was involved in planning and implementation of upcoming MDB funded metro/rail projects in Delhi NCR region. He has extensive experience of supporting government clients with solutions based on project portfolio management, financial analysis & planning and performance improvement. Ankit holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from IIT-Roorkee and MBA in Business Management from XLRI-Jamshedpur. He believes that India’s journey from a developing country to a developed country can be expedited by reforming the school education landscape in the country. He is passionate about travelling in mountains.

Ankur is committed to solving India’s development problems like quality education in the public system. In 10+ years of experience, he has designed and implemented scalable models that delivered. He started his career as an entrepreneur and provided Ed-tech services to 31 low-income private schools in rural Haryana, supporting the career progression of 3600+ students to top-notch colleges in the country. In 2015, he got his first multi-state engagement with Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation, IIM Ahmedabad, where his team could impact government school students from over 16,000+ schools of Gujarat via GCERT. Later, working as an ED of a non-profit, he spearheaded a state-wide educational transformation project with the Haryana government, impacting over 4900+ teachers and 2.6 lacs+ students during COVID. In 2021, he worked with Delhi Government to set up the Desh Ke Mentors program, India’s largest mentoring program supporting over nine lakh school students in exploring their career journeys. This short stint with Delhi Government helped him bring transformation from within the system. Currently, as a part of the Government Projects team at CSF, he is leading TicTacLearn – India’s largest content repository of Maths & Science educational content available in six languages. Ankur earned a post-graduate diploma in management from XLRI Jamshedpur and a bachelor’s degree in computer science & engineering from Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar.

Anustup leads the Classroom Instruction & Practices (CIP) team at CSF. In his role, he works with multiple CSF partner organizations and state government agencies to support the implementation of the FLN mission. Prior to working at CSF, his work involved supporting and scaling up an entrepreneurial venture named XSEED Education. Anustup joined CSF to pursue his passion to improve public education at scale. He did his master’s in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Public Policy at Georgia Tech. He is passionate about equipping teachers with the right tools and skills to succeed in the classroom. In his free time, he enjoys listening to podcasts and is constantly on the search for the next viral meme.

Ashna is a Project Manager in the Partnerships and New Initiatives team. She completed her master’s degree in 2022 from Harvard Graduate School of Education in the Human Development Program with an Early Childhood Education specialization. Before her master’s, she worked at Educational Initiatives Pvt Ltd in a business development and marketing role in the Ei Shiksha vertical and as an Executive Assistant to the Vice President. In her free time, she loves taking pictures of the sky and enjoying stand-up comedy, pottery, and trashy Bollywood movies.

Ashutosh works as a  Project Associate in the State Reform Haryana team. He graduated in Electrical Engineering from IIT(BHU), Varanasi in 2018. As a professional, he has worked in the Business Development Team of Energy Systems Division in Panasonic India. He has also worked with a Member of Parliament as a  LAMP fellow.  In his personal time, he loves to read books, write blogs,  and learn about the Indian Knowledge System. He also loves to do photography, practice yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda.

Atma works in the EdTech team at CSF. She is responsible for managing stakeholders including researchers, grantee organizations, and implementation partners to execute projects that can drive the evidence generation agenda for EdTech. Prior to joining CSF, Atma was part of the Corporate Services Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Geneva providing partnerships and stakeholder engagement support to governments in Somalia, Ghana, Uganda, Mozambique, Iraq, Colombia, and South Asia. She has also previously worked with multiple organizations within the development sector such as UNDP India, UNJIU Geneva, and the SOS Children’s Village in Nepal. Her interest in the education sector comes from her time as a Teach For India (2016) Fellow, serving as a full-time teacher in a low-income government school in Yerwada, Pune. Atma holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from TISS and a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of Geneva. Outside of work, Atma is always trying to read at least 3 books simultaneously and hopes to write her own someday.

Atul works as a Senior Program Manager in the India Partnership for Early Learning (IPEL) team. At CSF, he has previously been a part of prestigious projects such as TicTacLearn, DIKSHA, PISA, and EdTech Implementation in Schools. Prior to joining CSF, he worked with organizations such as Infosys, L&T Finance, and PwC followed by 4 years of pursuing entrepreneurship where along with various workstreams he authored two books. He has 14 years of experience across sectors including IT, Finance, Consulting, and Education. In his free time, he runs half and full marathons, treks occasionally, loves driving, and traveling, and is a food lover.

Avnish Kumar works with the State FLN Projects team as a District Consultant based in Bihar. He brings years of experience in child rights, education, and governance with masters in accounts. He found his purpose when he witnessed how soft skills enabled him and his peers. Previously he has been a Fellow at Transforming Rural India Foundation under Aspirational District Transformation Program and Gandhi Fellow for two years. He has worked closely with the District Magistrate and supported the district administration in strategic planning, project management, implementation, and fundraising across rural India. He loves writing poems and stories. He aspires to drive change in society at scale

Ayush works as a Project Consultant with Central Square Foundation where he supports the organisation’s programme for system reform in foundational learning, while supporting its PMUs and teams across five states. Ayush has previously worked with the governments of Madhya Pradesh & Haryana, and members of parliament among others across domains – education, women empowerment, service delivery, health etc. with particular focus on governance and implementation. Ayush’s academic background is in Political science and Public Policy. He is a former LAMP (Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament) Fellow & Chief Minister’s Associate, Haryana. He is particularly passionate about working on last mile delivery, solving governance gaps & challenges and politics & policy. Ayush is also an amateur poet & an avid debater. He also loves to spend hours watching Hindi movies.

Ayushi works with the State Reform Team in Madhya Pradesh as a Project Manager. She has completed her Bachelors in Law from National Law Institute University, Bhopal and thereafter pursued her Masters degree in Criminal Law. Prior to joining CSF, she was a Teach for India Fellow which drove her to further contribute to the education sector. She is an ardent lover of chai and good conversations.

Barasha works with the State FLN Projects team as a Project Consultant and is based out of Guwahati. She holds a bachelors graduation in Political Science (Honours) from Ramjas College and a Masters in Political Science from Indraprastha College for Women. She was a Teach For India Fellow (2018 cohort, Delhi) and has worked as a Program Manager in NEAID implementing various education projects across Northeast India. Barasha finds painting therapeutic and loves to travel around observing different cultures and traditions of diverse communities, while enjoying the nature. Also, she is an adventure junkie and a thrill seeker.

Bhagyashree works as a Research Associate with the Classroom Instruction and Practice team at Central Square Foundation. Prior to joining CSF, Bhagyashree worked with Samavesh on primary education for 3 years in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, where closely worked with 112 teachers on foundational numeracy and literacy, as well as early childhood education. She liaised with various stakeholders such as block officials, students, SMC, and the tribal community. In TPD, she developed the modules for teacher training programs. During her time as a volunteer, Bhagyashree taught social studies to till 5th std in Bhandara, Maharashtra. She has completed a Masters in Education (MA Education) from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru and Commerce graduate from Nagpur University. During her free time, Bhagyashree enjoys writing poetry.

Chandni Kalra works with the State FLN Projects team as Project Consultant based in Bhubaneswar. She has Experience in combining human and material resources to deliver excellent education, ensuring fair treatment with equal opportunity when it comes to access to resources. She started off her journey in the Education space as a TFI Fellow, moved on to be a member of the Selection team at TFI and then joined LEAD to understand stakeholder management better. Having explored all these she is here at CSF to learn and grow with everything that this role has to offer. You can often find her lost in her Lalaland, far away from the chaos with a bowl of Mississippi.

Chavi works as a Project Manager in the State Reform Haryana team and will be based out of Panchkula. She is an Economics graduate from Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi. Most recently, she worked with Sattva Consulting as an Associate Consultant on the Impact Assessment and Advisory Team, where she was involved in the monitoring and evaluation of the programmes run by government and non-profit organisations across the country. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, reading, and occasionally penning poetry.

Debatri works with the Classroom Instruction and Practice team that works closely with multiple states and partner organisations on developing and implementing the FLN Mission. Prior to CSF, Debatri has been a Program Manager at Teach for India, working with close to 40 Fellows over 3 years, building the program in first year intervention schools. She also did the TFI Fellowship, teaching Literacy and Social Studies to Primary School students in a municipal school. Debatri completed her Masters in Literature from Delhi University. During her free time, Debatri reads books and doodles with the intent to upload them on her instagram page someday.

Debesh has a diverse experience of over 15 years as a Media & Comms professional, working across the media, digital comms, and behavioural campaigns spaces. In his last professional stint, he worked with WaterAid India as the media and comms lead, where I was leading on the communications strategy and overseeing execution plans for building advocacy and thought-leadership around water, sanitation, and hygiene issues. Before that, at Youth Ki Awaaz- a youth centric online platform- he was working on developing strategy and planning online and offline campaigns on various social justice issues; business development; including building capacity for campaign acquisition and outreach for new campaigns with brands and non-profit entities. Prior to this, I have been associated with organizations like British Council; The Indian Express, The Pioneer; with brief stints at The Guardian & BBC World News, where I was working on different aspects involving: planning and executing digital comms. strategies; designing social media campaigns; digital project planning; securing and managing non-paid partnerships in areas of digital innovation; writing and reporting on features and urban lifestyle trends.

Deepak works as a Senior Project Lead in the State FLN Projects team. He has over ten years of experience with managing program portfolios, strategic planning, program scale up, advocacy and partnerships with governments. He has previously worked with consulting firms, and large-scale technical assistance organizations such as Evidence Action, Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health. He is a Post-Graduate in Health & Hospital Management from IIHMR University, Jaipur.

Deergha works as a Project Manager in the State Reform Team, Uttar Pradesh at CSF. She graduated from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Her interest lies in exploring all the nuances of the education system. She is a designer turned educator with experience managing projects, research, and design with stakeholders from SCERT Sikkim, Azim Premji Foundation, government school teachers, and school communities in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Delhi. Before working with CSF, she was a fellow at Teach For India, Delhi. Deergha is never without an audiobook and has experimented extensively to concoct her version of the perfect cup of ginger chai.

Dhanesh works as a Senior Manager in the Finance Team at CSF where his role includes managing & supporting finance and accounting processes in the organization. His key responsibilities include the processing and payment of salaries, TDS compliance, and resolving finance-related queries. Prior to working at CSF, Dhanesh worked at Eicher motors and has an extensive work experience in the finance sector he holds an M.Com degree from Rajasthan University. At CSF, he enjoys working with the younger cohort of colleagues and loves to support and resolve finance-related queries for others. In his free time, he prefers to keep himself occupied with work or engage in reading and listening to the news.

Divya works with  the State Reform team as a Project Manager and is based out of Bhopal. Prior to joining CSF, she was working for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the India Smart Cities Fellowship Program 2021, Smart Cities Mission. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from RGPV, Bhopal and a master’s degree in Urban Policy and Governance from TISS, Mumbai. In her free time, she enjoys reading fiction, listening to music, binge-watching, practicing yoga, and sleeping and meditation.

Parthajeet leads the State FLN Projects team which provides strategic support to states in their programmes to improve foundational learning. The team takes a systems approach and strengthens the academic as well as governance intiatives of the states. Parthajeet holds a PhD and Masters in Management and has more than a decade of rich national and international experience across top management consulting firms of advising governments, multi-lateral donors and foundations. In his free time, he loves to travel, read, write and listen to music.

Faisal works with the Talent Management & OD team at CSF he manages HRMS, L&D initiatives, talent hiring, employee onboarding and induction. He has been working in the development sector for the past 7 years. His journey in the education space began with the Teach For India (TFI) fellowship where he taught in a 6th-grade classroom for 2 years. He continued at TFI post the fellowship as a Recruiter, facilitating Fellow-hiring and building partnerships with various colleges and youth-run organizations in the region. Post TFI he worked with the International Innovation Corps a social impact program supported by the University of Chicago leading their Operations and Talent Management verticals. He has also done short-term stints with Education based organizations like Leap Skills and Harappa Education. Faisal is an engineering graduate from the Global Institute of Technology, Jaipur. He likes listening to true crime podcasts, reading fiction books and trying out new places to eat in Delhi.

Garima works with the State FLN Projects team, which supports implementation of foundational literacy and numeracy programs to improve learning levels across five states. Previously, she worked with D. E. Shaw Research, out of their Hyderabad office, leading projects in operations and recruitment for the computational drug discovery research firm. Garima has an undergraduate degree in Commerce and Economics from Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi. When not working, she spends time traveling, reading, and practicing yoga.

Gaurav works the IPEL team as a Team Lead and is based out of Delhi. He is a change management, project management, and business transformation professional who brings a unique perspective to his work with an experience of 8 years in tech-driven projects. Before joining CSF, he was working as a Business Analyst with UNICEF. He holds a Masters degree in Information Technology and Communication Technology Management from University of South Australia. Gaurav is an avid street photographer, and he enjoys capturing the essence of life and the world around him through his lens. With an eye for detail and a passion for creativity, he combines his professional expertise with his artistic vision to bring a fresh approach to his projects.

Gaurav is a part of the Partnerships and New Initiatives team. His role majorly involves working on the Back to School Outcomes Fund and co-creating strategy and support for FLN partners in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. His journey with the education sector started as a fellow in Teach for India where he taught a classroom of 50 girls in 5th and 6th grade. Post fellowship, he worked as a Program Manager in TFI’s Delhi team, building professional and personal capacity in 30 fellows. Prior to CSF, Gaurav co-founded his own non-profit, Slam Out Loud, and led it as the Chief Operating Officer for 5 years. Gaurav has a Masters in Public Administration from National University of Singapore and is a certified action learning coach from the Action Learning Center, UK. Post work, he spends time solving puzzles, hoarding trivia, discovering new poetry, reading non-fiction and having conversations over/about food.

Gaurav Saroha works the Private Schools – Governance team as a Project Associate and is based out of Guwahati. He has previously worked with the Quality Council of India as an Associate Manager; worked on projects like “Made in India Brand Scheme” & “India’s Trade Deficit Policy”. His work centered around Government Advisory, Policy Making, and Implementation He has completed Young India Fellowship from Ashoka University and did BTech in Computer Science and Engineering. Most of his free time goes dabbling into foreign language movies and reading non-fiction books.

Geetika works as Senior Program Manager designing and implementing the assessments for different stakeholders in the school education system for the IPEL-USAID consortium of which CSF is a member. She had been working in the education sector for more than a decade now. In her previous instinct also, she has worked for designing and implementing large-scale assessments for different geographies to understand the impact of various programs. She has worked with teachers for their professional development and with policy makers to implement educational initiatives across geographies. Geetika is an IIM Lucknow alumnus, PhD in Economics, trained in business and data analytics and master’s in business administration. At heart she is a teacher and always tries to make things simpler for people to understand and implement. She likes to blend creativity and simplicity in the teaching, training by weaving story around work. She hails from royal blue city of Jodhpur, married to a finance professional- professor and both loves cooking and exploring food. In the free time she can be seen playing mathematical games and doing creative work. She is associated with Robin Hood Army which is a NGO works for providing free meal to the needy.

Gouri leads CSF’s work in the area of Education Technology. She works with a portfolio of Edtech products that take high-quality, contextual solutions to young children from low-income backgrounds to support learning at home. Prior to CSF, Gouri was part of the founding team at the National Skill Development Corporation, a public-private partnership created by the Govt of India to invest in skill development ventures in India. Gouri crossed over into the development sector from The Boston Consulting Group where she was a Project Leader working primarily in the financial services domain. Gouri is a Chartered Accountant by training and a management graduate from IIM Bangalore. Gouri loves the jungles and is always on the quest for the next big cat sighting!

Harish Doraiswamy is the Director of the Edtech team at CSF and his work involves working with state governments on their Edtech strategy and implementation. Prior to joining CSF in early 2020, Harish was Vice-President at Pearson India where he was responsible for the K12 School Management, Vocational Education, and International Qualifications verticals. Harish is an alumnus of IIT Madras and IIM Calcutta and has over 30 years of experience across various sectors and functions. He is excited to work on realizing the potential of technology to transform school education for the disadvantaged. In his free time, he loves to enjoy good food, music, the company of his friends, and travel.

Indranath works with the State FLN Projects team as a State Lead and is based out of Guwahati. He hails from North East India and is passionate about systemic reforms. He has 16 years of multi-faceted management experience in the development sector, successfully designing, implementing, and managing large-scale projects. Previously, he has worked with various state governments and multi-lateral agencies such as GIZ, UNICEF, and Mott Macdonald and holds a master’s degree in management. He is currently leading the CSF team in Assam towards ensuring FLN skills for all children.

Jithu works as a Project Manager in the Research Monitoring and Evaluation (RMEL) team at CSF. Prior to CSF, he worked in various capacities for the MLE division at DevInsights Pvt Ltd for the last two years. During this time, he gained extensive experience in conducting impact evaluation studies, baseline studies, and needs assessments using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Jithu has completed a Master’s in Public Policy from the Indian School of Public Policy, New Delhi, and has done a Master’s in Sociology prior to that from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala. In his free time, he can be found watching highlights and videos of football matches in La Liga and the English premier league. He also loves to analyze the game and the players tactically. He is an ardent admirer and fan of Lionel Messi and the Barcelona football club.

Jyotsna completed her graduation and post graduation in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, and Delhi School of Economics, respectively. Post her studies, she pursued working on projects that had the potential to create impact at scale. She worked as a political consultant for nearly 6 years at I-PAC, where she designed and led high-decibel political campaigns, while managing high-profile stakeholders. Her interest in the field of education and CSF was spurred by her desire to transform and impact people’s lives for the better. In her spare time, you can find her reading about the workings of the human brain, playing with her dogs, or admiring nature.

Kamal Nath Jha leads the State FLN Projects team as a State Lead in Bihar. He supports the government in the functioning of PMU for FLN in the state. He is also engaged in collection of evidence and deeper implementation of FLN activities in a few districts to showcase that FLN goals and targets are achievable within the time frame. He has a Masters degree in Political Science from JNU, New Delhi. Before joining CSF, he has worked with IPE Global, UNICEF, Save the Children and Bihar Education Project Council. During 24 years of his career span in the development sector, he has experienced early, elementary and secondary government schooling systems and learnt about the challenges they face. He was involved with the World Bank project on improving efficiency in Teachers’ Training College Institutions in Bihar. In his free time, he loves talking to children, cooking, reading and listening to music.

Kamini is a development professional with 4+ years of experience in CSR, PR, ESG and Climate Change. Kamini works with IPEL-USAID consortium as Program Manager in Jharkhand. She holds a PGD in Sustainable Rural Development from National Institute of Rural Development and a Master Degree in Economics from HNB Garhwal Central University. She’s a sustainability practitioner, climate reality leader and a budding ESG professional. During her free time, she can be found delivering talks on climate education or reading adventure stories.

Kanika Tomar works with the Public Governance Team as a Project Consultant and is based out of Delhi. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Miranda House and recently completed her Masters in Development Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. She entered the development sector with the Teach For India Fellowship in 2016. She has spent over four years in the education ecosystem working with various organizations such as Teach for India, 321 Education Foundation, Educate Girls and the Delhi Government. She likes to spend her free time in nature and/or with books, preferably poetry.

Kapil Khurana works with the governance team at CSF. With private schools comprising almost half of India’s school-going population, he shall work towards informing policy and governance to improve the learning quality in the affordable private schools of India. He started his career as a teacher and content writer, and grew up to lead sales and business transformation. He founded an EdTech business on teaching improvement that has impacted 8000 school teachers and over 200,000 learners in the early childhood, primary and middle grades across India and the Middle East. Aside from this, he has headed Sales and Marketing in FMCG and Pharmaceuticals industries. Kapil is deeply passionate about impacting the learning outcomes in schools. He has invested most of his career in education in K12 schools working on programs improving the foundational learning. He has worked on adult literacy and career counseling pro bono, treating these as his civic responsibilities. Kapil did his bachelors in Computer Sciences and master’s in business management from IIM Lucknow. In his free time, Kapil is found planning meticulously for his large extended family gatherings, which keep happening unplanned anyways.

Kavita Rawat works with the Government Partnerships team on an ADB-funded project which is a results-based lending program. It supports the improvement of education outcomes, particularly foundational learning at the primary level and reduction of dropout rates at the secondary level. She joined Central Square Foundation after completing her Teach for India fellowship (2020) where she led more than 150 girls across 2 government schools and 3 classrooms in the East Delhi community. Kavita holds a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Ambedkar University Delhi. It was in one of these classrooms that she realised how rather than being angry or debating about things which are not working behind closed walls, it was more important to find sustainable solutions on the ground. During her free time, you can find her reading books, buying books or/while listening to Taylor Swift.

Krishnan leads a team that enables and manages CSF’s partnerships with nonprofits, donors, and other development sector actors, and also shapes and nurtures nascent organizational priorities. Previously at CSF, he designed and implemented the foundation’s venture philanthropy strategy through the Grant Accelerator program and also helped set up the Early Childhood Education and the School to Work Transition verticals. He started his career with Axis Bank in their project finance practice and transitioned into the education sector through the Teach for India fellowship. Krishnan holds an MBA in Finance and Economics from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and an undergraduate degree in Engineering from NIT, Trichy. In his spare time, Krishnan enjoys quizzing, solving word games and cryptic crosswords, and planning his next vacation.

Satyam is part of the Public Governance team and focuses on data reliability. At work, he is mostly seen visualizing ways to make system generated data more reliable. Currently he is on an exploratory journey to figure out if small is indeed beautiful or systemic intervention (read: scale) is the best possible approach to solve public issues. He was profoundly inspired by Jean Drèze’s idea of ‘research for action’ and made the switch from journalism to the social sector. Previously, he has worked at Indus Action and Piramal Foundation. He has studied journalism from University of Delhi. In his free time, you will always find him overthinking; he is a serial overthinker.

Kunal is a lawyer by education and has been working in the policy sector for the past few years. He worked as a research and policy associate for Late Mr Rajeev Satav, Member of Parliament and Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associate in Sirsa and Kaithal district, Haryana. Kunal is an avid reader and enjoy reading about Indian culture and history. He has also acted and directed plays.

Leenus works as a Project Lead with Government Partnerships team and and leads the DIKSHA project out of Chennai. His key responsibilities include working with government stakeholders across few focus states and Ekstep team to drive programs through DIKSHA. His foray into the development sector began with a stint with Fincare Small Finance Bank to ensure financial inclusion at the last mile. Prior to joining CSF, he worked as a Young Professional with Tamil Nadu Rural Development Department working on the design phase of Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project, a World Bank-funded project focused on enterprise promotion. Leenus holds a MBA degree from Xavier Institute of Management and an engineering degree from Jerusalem College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai. In his spare time, Leenus enjoys reading non-fiction, watching movies from across the world, and catching up with friends.

Lokeshwaran works with the Partnerships & New Initiatives (ECE) team as a Project Lead and is based out of Delhi. He is an Aerospace Engineer by education and his journey in the education sector began in 2017 with the Teach For India Fellowship. After the fellowship, he worked with Bhumi for four years, where he had the opportunity to design the Bhumi Fellowship in whole school transformation as part of the founding team. He hails from Chennai and outside of work, he enjoys watching football, reading non-fiction and an occasional episode of The Office or Brooklyn Nine-Nine. 

Lubhavani is a firm believer in creating equal opportunities for all students, thus starting her journey as an educator. She did her bachelor’s degree in education (B.El.Ed) from Gargi College, the University of Delhi, followed by an M.A in education from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Most recently finished her M.Phil. in education leadership & school improvement (ELSI) from the University of Cambridge. She has worked in the education sector for the last four years. She started her journey as a TFI Delhi fellow, continued working in TFI as a Course Designer with Firki Team and was last working as an Education Researcher with the CMR University before joining CSF. Fun Fact: She recently went for a Skiing course in Gulmarg and completed it with a Grade A and a ligament injury

Mahima is part of the Strategic Communications Team at Central Square Foundation. As a Project Manager, she works on building the CSF brand and creating resonance for the foundation’s work through various media channels. After studying Journalism from Kamala Nehru College, Delhi University, where she developed a keen interest in branding, communications and PR, she went on to pursue the post-graduate diploma in Advertising and Public Relations from the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication in New Delhi. Prior to CSF, Mahima was with Edelman India, the world’s leading PR agency, where she worked with top brands in the FMCG and F&B spaces. Her core competencies include campaign planning, content strategy and media relations. When not working, Mahima enjoys exploring new cafés and trying out unique perfume notes.

Mansi completed her bachelors from Ashoka University, where she studied Economics, Environmental Studies and Entrepreneurship to understand how businesses can contribute to sustainable and inclusive living. She is interested in the social and environmental impact sector. She has volunteered with IamGurgaon, to help make her city a better place to live in. She assisted with the founding of Leap Cities, an accelerator program that works with growth stage companies in the impact sector in India. She is also a mixed medium artist and designer. She likes to spend her spare time cooking, reading and practicing yoga.

Nalini works with the Government Partnerships team which focusses on partnering with the central government on key education policies and programs across CSF’s thematic areas. Prior to CSF, Nalini worked with Invest India at their Ministry of Women and Child Desk. She has also worked with the Foundation for Rural Entrepreneurship Development (a Google and Tata Trusts initiative). There she led operations for rural women entrepreneurship programs in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Nalini holds a Master’s degree in Social Entrepreneurship from TISS Mumbai. In her spare time, you can find her dancing or listening to her favourite artists.

Nanda works as a Project Lead in Strategic Support States Team, Telanagna at CSF. Nanda was born in the village of Ghanpuram, in Telangana. Having grown up in a teacher family in rural Telangana, his understanding of school education and its importance in society grew over time. After UG, he chose to go back home, and manage a family-owned low-cost private school for 3 years. During this time, he engaged with students of early grades, 1 to 5, experimenting alternative education. Pursuing PG Diploma in Rural Development from NIRD&PR equipped him with relevant skills and theoretical knowledge needed to work on large scale rural development programmes. In his previous roles with HCL Foundation & School Education Department of Andhra Pradesh, he worked on stakeholder management, curriculum development, community mobilization, training of teachers, research, inter-governmental liasoning, program Design and management. Fun Fact: He can break into a song any minute of the day.

Natasha leads Talent Management and Organizational Development at Central Square Foundation. Her key responsibilities include efficient management of the entire employee lifecycle and providing avenues for Organizational development driven through people engagement. Her foray into the social development sector began with a corporate partnerships role with The Nudge Foundation. She spent 5 years in the corporate sector in a sales and business development role with Diageo followed by Michael Page. Natasha had a short and exciting entrepreneurial stint in 2019 when she set up a microbrewery restaurant. Natasha holds a MBA degree from NMIMS, Mumbai and an undergraduate degree in Engineering from Jaypee University. It was through her volunteering work during the Covid outbreak that she realized her true calling lies in working directly with the less privileged, a cause she is truly committed towards. Always saving up for her next trip, she is a certified scuba diver and has won a trophy in beer chugging.

Nidhi works as a Senior Finance Associate at Central Square Foundation and in her role, she supports the finance team with the management of employee salary, vendor payments, statutory payments, and various compliances like TDS, PF, and professional tax. Prior to CSF, she worked with Saksham Trust for over three years, which added to her experience & built her understanding and passion for the education sector. She holds a Master’s degree in Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her two children and loves singing.

Nidhi is part of the Government Partnerships team at Central Square Foundation, which supports the Central government on national education strategy and programs across various thematic areas. Currently, she works with government stakeholders from the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economic Honours from Christ University, Bangalore. She has previously worked with policy experts in the field of Education, Gender, and Skill Development, which ignited her interest in the development sector. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, dancing and doing yoga.

Nishant works with the Private Schools team as a Project Lead and is based out of Bikaner. Nishant has worked extensively in the world of academic content and teaching, and has created teaching and learning content for multiple subjects upto grade 10. He is passionate about education reform and has worked in the sector in multiple roles. He holds a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani.

Nitin leads the State FLN Projects team in Punjab as a State Lead . His role entails building the state’s strength to bring systemic changes to improve FLN. He is a post-graduate in Social Work and has studied Rural and Urban development. He brings close to two decades of professional experience to the team in multiple thematic areas such as education, system strengthening, government consulting, and partnerships. His experience across multiple organizations, roles, and industries has helped him develop skills specifically in managing large-scale projects and impact delivery and a keen understanding of the sector. He strongly believes that change in society and systems are only possible through a change in the self (individual). He is passionate about creating a synergistic effect amongst people through adoption of inclusion, convergence and empathy as core values.

Nitish works as a District Consultant in the Strategic Support States team, Bihar. Nitish holds a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in History from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. He started his career as a Gandhi Fellow, introducing innovative ideas for education in a district. He is responsible for ensuring effective implementation of projects in Bihar State. Prior to this, he worked with GuruJal, an initiative of the Gurugram district, as an Associate, leading communication, community mobilization, and strategic program implementation. Passionate about driving change in society, Nitish enjoys traveling to historical places and monuments, reading fiction books, and indulging in mobile photography, Hindi movies, and documentaries.

Pooja is an Associate Project Director in the Government Partnerships team at CSF where her work entails leading the assessment programs related to foundational literacy and numeracy towards improving the quality of measuring learning outcomes for both State and National level assessments. Prior to CSF, Pooja has conducted assessment training and capacity-building sessions for education stakeholders at the State and National levels with 15 years of experience in leading student assessment and measurement projects for government, national civil society organizations, NGOs, and agencies. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Psychology from Delhi University and has completed the education research and measurement graduate program at the University of Illinois, Chicago. In her free time, she loves to do origami, wall murals, and travel with her camera.

Prakhar is a governance and public policy professional with more than ten years of work experience in strategy, project management, and business development roles. He manages CSF’s portfolio of education reform programs in UP & MP. Before joining CSF, he worked in the impact consulting sector, supporting government and non-government organizations on critical urban development and environment issues. He holds an MSc degree from the University of Oxford and a BTech degree from IIT Delhi.

Prashant works with the State Reform Team as a Project Lead in Gandhinagar. Currently, his work focuses on effectively operationalizing FLN PMU and delivering on different critical workstreams, i.e., FLN Monitoring System Development, Assessment Reform, Leveraging DPMUs, etc. under Nipun Gujarat Mission. He provides leadership and guidance to the team members of PMU. He has done his Masters in Language and Bachelors in Education. His professional experience spans more than 17 years. Before joining CSF, he worked with national and international organizations like UNICEF, Azim Premji Foundation for Development, Educational Initiatives, etc. During his career, he has managed many government projects and stakeholders in different states of India; he has extensively worked on the domains such as Assessment Led Reforms, Child-Friendly Schools and Systems, Teachers’ Professional Development, Inclusive Education, Social and Behavioural Change Communication, etc. Taking long walks, spending time at tea stalls, reading a variety of books on different themes and topics, and playing football are some of his areas of interest.

Pratiksha works a Project Consultant with the State FLN Projects team and is based out of Bhubaneswar. A teacher at heart, Pratiksha is a triple-major in Journalism-Psychology-English Literature. Her passion for teaching and learning brought her to Teach For India where she started as a Fellow in 2016 focusing on foundational learning for her early graders. Committed to providing children with quality education, she then continued this journey as a Program Manager coaching Fellows in their leadership journeys, and also took up the role of an Instructional Trainer at TFI’s Training Institute, facilitating learning on classroom culture-pedagogy-SEL-foundational literacy. Her desire to see impact of holistic learning at scale brought her to CSF. Fun Fact: She can hold long conversations on Partition Literature and Iced-Black-Coffee is her Elixir.

Rabb Nawaz works with the State FLN Projects team as Project Consultant based in Bhubaneswar. He is passionate about providing excellent education to all children and believes strongly in bringing in impact by driving systemic changes on ground. As an Academic Excellence Manager, he has conducted multiple training sessions, workshops for development of teachers and implemented the LMS platform across schools of Odisha and Chattisgarh. As a part of the Strategy and Operations team at Lead, worked deeply in the areas of data analysis and end-to-end project management impacting more than 2500 schools across India. He is a big time car enthusiast. He also enjoys going for long drives and exploring new food joints.

Radhika is a communications professional with rich experience in managing campaigns, social media strategy, media relations, and brand communication. Prior to joining Central Square Foundation, Radhika was leading digital communications at Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy (AEEE), one of the leading organisations in India that works on creating awareness about energy efficiency as a resource. She has also worked as a communications officer at Oxfam India and SOS Children’s Villages of India, respectively. Her core strength lies in translating technical content into meaningful narratives, packaged in the form of online and offline campaigns. With a demonstrated history of working in the development sector, Radhika is adept at drafting regional and national communication plans and strategies, and project implementation. Radhika holds a post-graduate diploma in Mass Communications from Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi and a Bachelor (Hons) in Literature from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce (DCAC), Delhi University (DU). She is based out of New Delhi and is an avid animal rights activist, who tries her best to work closely with the cause.

Raghav works in the Classroom Instruction and Practice team, overlooking the implementation of FLN programs in specific demonstration districts. Raghav has had a diverse career prior to CSF, including among others, TFI and LEAD. At LEAD, a private EdTech company, Raghav managed a portfolio of about 100 schools directly impacting 35000 students. During his time as a TFI fellow, Raghav taught English and Social Studies to 140 students in Govandi, Mumbai. Raghav is an Economics graduate from Royal Holloway, University of London. In his free time, he can be found listening to audiobooks or generally chatting with people in the cafeteria.

Raju works with the State Reform team as a Project Manager and is based out of Gorakhpur. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass communication from Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya in Haridwar. Most recently, he worked as a state consultant with the WCD Department, Government of Haryana, where he had the chance to participate in the diagnosis and planning of schemes. Prior to that, he was a fellow in the CMGGA Programme. In his free time, he loves to read poetry and learn about the Indian Knowledge System. He also likes practicing yoga.

Raman works with the IPEL team as a Consultant and is based out of Patna. During his thirteen years of experience in the  development sector, he was continuously engaged in planning implementation and advocacy for social issues like education, health and livelihood. In the past, he has worked with organizations like Enable India, Agastya International Foundation, Bharti Foundation , SRF Foundation and SARD. He holds a Masters degree in Social Work from MP Bhoj University, Bhopal. He enjoys playing and watching cricket in his free time.

Rashi is a Senior Project Lead in the Ed-Tech team at CSF where her work includes the creation of public goods and the reduction of information asymmetry in the EdTech ecosystem (aka EdTech Tulna), she also works towards supporting EdTech partners to focus on quality while scaling their solutions for learning at home. Prior to CSF, Rashi was involved in supporting the growth of two EdTech businesses. She holds an MSc in Finance from Imperial College London and a BSc in Economics, Econometrics, and Finance from the University of York. In her free time, she loves to go skydiving!

Reeya works with the India Partnership for Early Learning (IPEL) team which is a Foundational Learning delivery project – with a focus on creating a continuum of early education. She holds a bachelors degree in Sociology (Hons) from Lady Shri Ram College for Women (University of Delhi), and a masters degree in Social Policy & Development (States) from the London School of Economics & Political Science. She has a penchant for modern calligraphy and hand lettering.

Renu works in the State FLN Projects Bihar team, overlooking the implementation of FLN programs in the State specifically assessment. She had worked with different organisations in the education sector before CSF, including Sampark Foundation and Shiv Nadar Foundation. Renu holds an undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.EL.ED) from Delhi University and a Master’s from TISS in Social work in Rural Development. Renu’s anchor to work in the development sector is to create better opportunities for children through education. Renu is a tea lover and you can find her indulging in tea during her free time.

Revanth works as a Consultant with the Classroom Instructions and Practice Team at CSF. He holds a Master’s degree in Applied Electronics. Prior to CSF, Revanth has worked with 321 Education Foundation as a Design Manager for 3.5 years. He also did a fellowship at Teach For India with 40 grade 5,6 students. He is a dog father who is passionate about teaching, cooking and film making.

Rishu leads the Finance team and is responsible for day-to-day accounting and monthly MIS. He builds processes and policies to strengthen internal and external compliances like FCRA, Income Tax, GST. He manages reporting requirements for international and domestic donors. Rishu has worked with Airtel Payments Bank, Sambodhi Group, Religare IT division and KPMG. He has experience in Internal Audit, Financial Planning & Analysis, Management Reporting and Grant Accounting. Rishu is a Chartered Accountant and holds bachelor’s degree from SGTB Khalsa College, Delhi University. During his free time, he watches LiVE sports, driving and travelling with Friends & Family.

Ritesh works with the State Reform Team as a Project Manager. He supports the state in designing and implementing the NIPUN Bharat Mission in Gujarat. Currently, working on developing the FLN Monitoring System under Nipun Gujarat Mission along with other data and report-related processes at the state level. He is an alumnus of the Gandhi Fellowship Program. He has done his master’s in Public Policy and Governance from Azim Premji University, Bangalore, and holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has 6+ years of experience in policy research, designing, process re-engineering, strategic initiatives, administrative initiatives, and implementation with the different state governments and implementing agencies. He has explored the different geography and governance systems through his association with the states such as Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Sikkim. His interest lies in exploring the ground of governance, decoding, and developing initiatives for large-scale impact in the domain of education. He loves to comprehend the world through cinema and literature during his leisure time.

Rituparna works in Classroom instruction and practice, primarily focusing on Numeracy programs and Teacher professional development. Before that, she worked with Leadership for Equity and Bridge International Academies. She has done Teach For India fellowship prior to Bridge and taught 45 grade 2 and grade 3 students in a Government school in Hyderabad. Before she shifted to the development sector, she was working in Nigeria at an oil company named Sterling Oil and Gas exploration. Rituparna holds an M.tech in Petroleum Geoscience from IIT Bombay, and an undergraduate degree in Applied Geology from the University of Calcutta, Kolkata. In her free time, she loves to make routines, year planners, or reading lists for interesting reads. She uses cooking as a therapeutic measure for stressful situations.

Riya works in the EdTech team at CSF, supporting the build and contextualization of high-quality EdTech solutions. She also supports the team in the field of EdTech policy and in creating materials for advocacy around blended learning. Prior to joining CSF, she was at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where she worked to expand the digital access of refugees to livelihood programs across the world. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute Geneva, where her research focused on issues of governance, migration and livelihoods in the Indian subcontinent; she also has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. In her free time, Riya enjoys spending quality time with her cats and playing elaborate board games.

Robin works as a Resource Person for the IPEL team in Jharkhand at CSF. He holds a Masters Degree in Rural Management from “Xavier Institute of Social Services”- Ranchi, which has equipped me with the know-how that drives development in the social sector. He has more than 10 years of experience with NGOs and the Government flagship provided me with the right perspective of the development and the challenges associated with it. He works on multidimensional development activities with focusing on Capacity Building, Training ,Convergence & Liasioning with stakeholders & Govt officials , strategy management, reducing poverty, documentation, Strengthening community as per project based like Education , Skill , Community Health & Gender Issue.

Romonika is the Technical Director of Policy and Advocacy for the IPEL-USAID consortium of which CSF is a member. Prior to CSF, she worked for the Government of India for over two decades at senior policy-making levels. Earlier in her career, she was associated closely with the education sector, teaching at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, where she completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in English Literature. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, creating mosaics, and learning new languages.

Roy heads the Private School reforms initiative at CSF with a focus on improving learning outcomes in primary schools. One of the key priorities of the team is to implement Key Stage Assessment in states to measure and improve school performance. The team also looks into RTE reforms and driving initiatives outlined in NEP like helping states set up State Schools Standards Authority. Roy is a successful entrepreneur who founded Marketelligent, one of the early entrants into data analytics. Before Marketelligent he held senior positions in Nestle and FCB Ulka. Roy holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and a BTech from College of Engineering, Trivandrum. Roy is a passionate Golfer and started the IIM Masters, a Pan IIM Golf tournament that has been running since 2005.

Pradyoth works with the EdTech – B2G team that focuses on supporting the central and state governments on their Ed-Tech Programs. Currently, he works on helping the states with both in-school and out-of-school EdTech programs driven by evidence and programmatic approach. Pradyoth has a diverse work experience of working with the UNHCR, as a Zilla Swachh Bharat Prerak, and at the 17000 ft Foundation. Pradyoth holds a PGP in Public Policy from the Indian School of Public Policy, and B.A in History, Economics, & Political Science from Christ University. Pradyoth enjoys exploring new food recipes and places.

Sabina works as a Project Consultant with State FLN Projects team in Guwahati. She has lived in several parts of the country working in education, nutrition, and gender since 2016. She did her second Masters degree from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University, Rotterdam in Human Rights, Gender and Conflict Studies in 2020. Her motivation to work with children started when she joined Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership as a Gandhi Fellow in 2016. Currently, she is supporting government officials in the State FLN team towards the implementation of the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy program in the state of Assam. A fun fact about Sabina: she has been an art fanatic and a die-hard Chelsea fan since 2009.

Saksham works as a Senior Project Lead in the Government Partnerships team. After studying mechanical engineering, Saksham worked on manufacturing steam turbine blades for Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited. After earning his master’s in manufacturing from MIT, Boston, he pivoted his career to policy and development to make an impact on India’s growth. He joined NITI Aayog to design & deploy programs to support the Indian innovation ecosystem. Following that, he went to work for the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the GoI & Invest India to develop collaborative R&D clusters in the country.At home, Saksham enjoys reading science fiction, playing strategy games, and listening to music across genres.

Saloni works as a  Project Manager in the State Reform Gujarat team. Prior to joining CSF, she was a Mahatma Gandhi National Fellow with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, GoI where she was supporting in designing skilling projects across sectors and special projects for aspirational districts of Gujarat. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from Gujarat Technological University.If not over-thinking and self talking, you will find her reading books, travelling to unexplored places or grooving on retro songs.

Sambhrant works as the State Lead for the NIPUN Haryana mission. He has extensive experience in collaborating with national and international NGOs, CSR initiatives, and governments in Haryana, Delhi, and Maharashtra. Throughout the past decade, he has been involved in diverse roles such as teaching students, coaching government teachers and Anganwadi supervisors, designing curricula, spearheading organizational strategies and expansions, as well as providing advisory and consulting services to government entities. In his previous position, he held the role of Program Lead, overseeing education policy and administration at the Office of the Deputy Chief Minister in Delhi. Sambhrant holds an engineering degree and is an alumnus of Teach For India from the 2013 batch.

Sanjay works as part of the EdTech team at CSF. Within the team, he is part of the group that works closely with state and central govt.s on their EdTech programs. His work focuses on helping states introduce and improve EdTech solutions in both in-school and out-of-school settings. The team does this by supporting the states with an evidence-based and programmatic approach rather than the conventional hardware-focused approach. Sanjay holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, LLM from NALSAR University, and B.Tech from NIT Warangal. Prior to joining CSF, Sanjay was running a not-for-profit in the slum community rehabilitation, skill development, and women entrepreneurship space. Sanjay is a big movie buff and also seeks out unconventional books to read in his free time.

Saurabh leads the Government Partnerships team at Central Square Foundation where his work involves working closely with various central government stakeholders and executing numerous national-scale education projects. He has led multiple CSF engagements on the National Education Policy, NIPUN Bharat Mission, National Achievement Survey, DIKSHA, CBSE SAFAL, TicTacLearn, etc. Prior to joining CSF, Saurabh built EnglishLeap, an online English learning application, which catered to more than two million users. He also has experience in data analytics and has worked across continents with Fortune 500 clients. Saurabh holds a B.Com degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce and an MBA from IIM Lucknow. In his free time, he enjoys reading books and watching TV shows, especially those related to Indian politics and history.

Seema works as a Consultant with the IPEL team at Ranchi. With 8 years of continuous association with Public Education sector, Seema started gaining her expertise as an ‘Instructional Designer’ and ‘Facilitator’ through designing, developing and facilitating content for education officials across 12 states. After completing my Gandhi Fellowship (2015-2017), She has worked with the Piramal Foundation and was taking care of learning and development (L&D) initiatives for Middle Managers (Block, District and State education officials) in Education eco-system through introducing coaching and leadership concepts. Seema holds her degree in Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal. She aims to travel all districts of our country and love to explore different cultures and cuisines.

Shaleen works as a Consultant with the IPEL team at CSF. He has been working in the education sector since 2006. He joins us from Azim Premji Foundation. Prior to that, he was with CARE-India for 7 years. In his last role, major part of work included field visits to monitor the processes and outcomes of different programs. He has been extensively involved in the NIPUN program where he has been involved in designing curriculum, workshops and training programs and coordinating with government officials for a smooth implementation of the program. He has a master’s degree in mathematics from HNBGU, Uttarakhand.

Shalet works with the State FLN Projects Team as a Project Manager and is based out of Delhi. Prior to joining CSF, she worked as an Assistant Manager at Samhita where she managed various CSR projects. She was also a Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associate in Haryana and managed various governance initiatives across domains in the districts of Panchkula and Rohtak. She has a BA in Economics from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai and an MA in Educational Planning, Economics and International Development from UCL, London. She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma from Indian School of Development management in Noida. Her hobbies include making people laugh (by making puns) and dancing.

Shilpi works with the IPEL Team in Bihar as a Program Manager – Assessments, supporting the State in implementation of FLN programs. She has had diverse experiences of working in the corporate and development sector with the Tata Group, Swaniti Initiative and Grofers. Her willingness to work at the grassroot and make an impact in the lives of people is what motivated her to move to the development sector. During her previous experiences, she has worked with the Government of Jharkhand in strengthening the delivery of Government schemes at the district and state level across sectors such as education, health and livelihood. Shilpi holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from DSCE, Bangalore and a Post Graduate Diploma in Liberal Studies (Young India Fellowship) from Ashoka University. Shilpi loves spending time in the mountains and has done a couple of high-altitude treks.

Shirin works with the Talent Management & OD team as an Associate and is based out of Delhi. She has done her Bachelors and Masters in Political Science from University of Delhi and a certification course in Strategic Human Resource Management from Loyola Institute of Business Administration. She joined CSF as an intern in the TMOD Team and explored her passion for HR while working with the team.  Outside of work, Shirin can be found debating in MUNs, and participating in cultural events and different art festivals.

Shivangi works as a Project Lead for TicTacLearn(Under Government Projects Team). She is a “Teach For India” Fellow (2015) and taught 60 students at a Municipal School in Mumbai. Post-fellowship, she worked with Lead School as Curriculum and Training Manager and led the development of English curriculum for primary grades. She also worked at XSEED Education as a Senior Education Coach and supported 50 schools on implementation of the XSEED’s K-8 experiential learning curriculum. She has done Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management from IIM Bangalore in 2021. Before moving to the development sector, she worked on consulting projects for clients Morgan Stanley and CVS Caremark at Genpact-Headstrong. She loves travelling and her best travel experiences includes a bike trip to Ladakh and a train journey to Jungfrau.

Shrey works as Project Lead in the State Reform Haryana Team. He has been in the education space for the past 7 years. Previously, he led the District Team of Sanjhi Sikhiya Foundation in Punjab, while delivering system-reform projects and processes to the Education Department. Before this, he served as a City Training Manager as well as a Fellow at Teach For India. In his college, Shrey has learned filmmaking and is quite intrigued with Iranian and Italian Cinema.

Shreyashee works with the EdTech team as a Project Manager and is based out of Delhi. Prior to joining CSF, she was working as a curriculum & content development professional to support the growth of leading EdTech startups, including Upgrad’s Harappa Education. She has been working at the intersection of education, skill development & economic empowerment, as is highly passionate about facilitating change in various kinds of learning spaces. She holds an Integrated Master of Arts degree in English from IIT Madras. Outside of work, she is often found taking food tours, reading fiction novels, interpreting local art or cooking elaborate meals.

Shweta joins the Strategic Support States team in Bihar as a District Consultant. She is a skilled development professional who holds Masters in Social Work from Banaras Hindu University. She started her career in the development sector as a Gandhi fellow and impacted the lives of children by enhancing the education system. She has worked with Dept. of WCD Govt. of Delhi and Ministry of Skill Development, GOI and has taken the responsibility in enhancing the lives chances of youth, women and children by enabling them through skill development and Education. She loves working for the people, by the people and of the people. Apart from this, she loves watching cooking videos.

Shweta works as an Executive in the Finance Team and is based out of Delhi. Her work focuses on verifying and approving employee reimbursement & vendor payments, processing payments, reconciling accounts payable and receivable apart from this she assist in Taxation and Statutory compliance . She holds a bachelor’s degree from Bharti College, Delhi University and has pursued her MBA in Finance from NMIMS. In her free time, she can be found gardening, dancing, swimming or watching horror/thriller movies.

Shweta works with the State FLN Projects team as a State Lead and is based out of Bhubaneswar. Prior to joining CSF, she was working with Reach to Teach in Gurgaon. She is a development sector professional whose primary engagement has been with the education sector in India. She has been designing and leading operations in education programs for over 15 years. With a deep interest in education research, her commitment has been towards bridging practice with research findings. Shweta has a Masters in Social Work from TISS, Mumbai, and has worked with diverse teams in different locations across India. In her free time, she engages in café hopping, long walks, and yoga.

Shyam Sunder Sharma joins the CSF State Strategic Support Team in Telangana as Program Manager (Academics). He holds a Masters degree in Economics from St. Joseph’s University, Bengaluru. After two years of immersive engagement as a TFI fellow in a low-income private school, he worked with the Government of Telangana as a Kakatiya Governance Fellow. Shyam has also worked closely with the Secretary of Finance and the Secretary of Social and Tribal Welfare Schools. His responsibilities included creating a digital repository for all cadres in the state, building and managing partnerships for academic collaborations, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and strengthening higher education in both societies. Apart from work, Shyam is a movie enthusiast and loves exploring local street food.

Sneha works as a Consultant in the EdTech team. In her last stint, she led research and policy advocacy for the Future of Work and Platform Economy vertical at OMI Foundation, a social innovation think tank focused on developing knowledge frameworks aimed at the public good. While at Ola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Ola Cabs, she led the key strategic programs where she tested models in EdTech for the driver community and built non-traditional livelihood programs for women. She holds a Bachelors degree in Management from Mumbai University and a Masters in Marketing from University of Bath. When not working, Sneha can be found obsessing over houseplants or planning treks to remote places.

Sneha works with the EdTech team at CSF, and leads the evidence generation projects aimed at generating evidence of promising hypotheses and programs, and identifying what works, how it works and how to make it work at scale. Prior to joining CSF, Sneha worked with Management Consulting organizations for over a decade in Strategy and Operations role consulting Retail and FMCG clients in India and overseas. Sneha holds an MBA from Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and did her Bachelors in Business Administration from Symbiosis, Pune. She is a health nut and an avid Yoga practitioner.

Snehankita works with the State FLN Projects team as a Project Associate and is based out of Guwahati. Prior to joining CSF, she was working with Tata Trusts in the project named ‘Antaran – Transforming Crafts’, a crafts-based livelihood program. She hold a Bachelors degree in Child Protection and a Masters in Social Work in Livelihoods and Social Entrepreneurship from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati. Her passion to work with people and innovate practical solutions to see the changes is what has brough her to the development sector. Her interest also lies in cooking, traveling, trying out different cuisines, and music.

Sparsh is a development sector professional, currently working as a Project Manager for the Government Partnerships Team. Prior to joining Central Square Foundation, Sparsh has worked as a Parliamentary Engagements Analyst at Swaniti Initiative, New Delhi, building relations with Members of Parliament by supporting them in their legislative work and engaging in research and advocacy around matters such as Child Rights and Air Pollution. He has also worked as an Assistant Research Fellow at Public Policy Research Centre, New Delhi, affiliated to the Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation. Sparsh is very passionate about the development of the country and firmly believes that the use of technology and collaboration between stakeholders in the Education Sector can guide India towards becoming a prosperous nation. He hopes to make a tangible impact towards improving Foundational Learning Outcomes and the National Foundational-Learning Mission during his tenure at CSF. He holds a Master’s Degree in Development Studies from Ambedkar University, and a Bachelor (Hons) in Political Science from Sri Venkateswara College, New Delhi. In his spare time, Sparsh likes to spend time with his beloved Golden Retriever, gaming on his Playstation 5, watching football or checking out the latest gadgets.

Srijeet Mukherjee works with the Government Partnerships team as Project Lead – Assessments based in Delhi. Previously, he worked as Project Manager at Education Today involved in creating curriculum for the Schools of Specialised Excellence under the Delhi Government. He has created school assessments at Educational Initiatives and L&D assessments at Harappa Education. He has been a Fulbright FLTA for Hindi at the University of Montana. He has co-authored a Hindi Reader for the University of California, Davis and has regularly presented guest lectures at the Virtual National Security Language Institute for Youth. An M.A. in Linguistics, his career of over 10 years began at Oxford University Press. He likes reading, traveling and loves animals and fountain pens.

Subhransu is a competent development professional with organizational experience across leading projects, operations, and generating results. He holds a Master’s in Social Innovations and Entrepreneurship from TISS, Maharashtra. He has extensive experience in Project Implementation, Capacity Building, Research & Learning, and Accountability in the areas of Education, Child Protection, Health, and Women Empowerment.

Suman Bharti works with the State FLN Projects as a District Consultant and is based out of Jehanabad. She is a commerce graduate from Ranchi University and a Gandhi Fellowship alumna. Following her fellowship, she worked for Tata Trust on the Swachh Bharat Mission in three districts of Jharkhand, supporting the district administration on both an operational and strategic level. Later, she joined Mantra4Change to strengthen teacher training institutions in Bihar.She enjoys watching movies and exploring different cultures and cuisines.

Sunita Boro works with the Strategic Support States team as a District Consultant based out of Jehanabad in Bihar. She has completed her Bachelors in English Literature from Assam, and Masters in Social Work from Dibrugarh University, Assam. She started her career as a Gandhi Fellow in Bihar where she worked towards the improvement of education quality in public schools of Katihar district. Prior to CSF, Sunita was working with Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights as a Child Rights Fellow and was leading the project ‘Early Warning System’ in 1046 Government schools under the Directorate of Education, Delhi. In her leisure time, Sunita likes to binge-watch TV series and is also passionate about sports.

Suresh Ghattamaneni works as State Lead, Telangana with State FLN Projects team working on improving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in the state. Suresh ventured into social sector after his graduation in Mechanical Engineering and has worked with think tanks, government and not for profit organizations for around 13 years. He is a former Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellow having worked with the Ministry of Rural Development, GoI, supporting the local administration in the last mile delivery of development initiatives. Suresh believes in continuous learning and has completed his Masters in Communication and Journalism and pursued various certificate courses as well. He also completed Post Graduation Programme for Working Professionals (MBA) from Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. Suresh loves exploring diverse fields and further connect dots to create models for social good. He is passionate about Education, Governance and Technology for Social impact.

Sushruti is a Senior Project Lead  with the Classroom Instruction and Practice team at CSF. She oversees the overall academic design of our FLN programs with CSF partner organizations and state governments. She is an engineer by qualification and worked as a technology consultant for two years before transitioning to the education sector with the Teach for India fellowship in 2013. She worked with Teach for India for almost 8 years in various roles ranging from teacher coach to instructional training. Prior to CSF, she was leading the program implementation for the Delhi region of Teach for India. She is passionate about making learning fun for kids and adults alike. She is a fitness enthusiast who enjoys endurance activities like trekking and running. If not in education, she would choose to be a wedding choreographer.

Tanaya works as a Project Associate in the Public Governance team and is based out of Delhi. She has previously worked with Ernst & Young as a Public Policy Consultant, where she was involved in key policy analysis projects for multiple stakeholders. She has studied Economics at Ashoka University and Public Policy at the Indian School of Public Policy, where she specialized in Education, Health and Infrastructure. Her keen interest in the education domain and in exploring alternative pedagogies to improve learning outcomes led her to CSF. Outside of work, she can be found sitting at a local café as she catches up with friends, her favourite sitcoms, or the latest fantasy novel that she’s reading.

Tanuj works with Talent Management & OD team as an Associate Director & is based out of Delhi. Tanuj has tried his hands in multiple professions – which includes the sciences, service centres, hospitality and sales before discovering his true passion in Human Resources. He holds an MBA in HR from IMT, Ghaziabad. In the past, Tanuj has worked with organizations like Airtel , Bharti Walmart, Star Sports, American Express, and most recently, Amazon. As a certified leadership coach with more than 400 hours of coaching experience, he is passionate about how human experiences and motivations drive organizational success. When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and his Golden Retriever. His other interests include listening to classic rock music, 5k runs, and cooking.

Tarendra works witj the Strategic Support States team in Bihar as a District Consultant. He has done his Graduation in Chemistry from Magadh University, Bodhgaya and Post-Graduation in Journalism from Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Mass Communication, Bhopal. He holds a Masters degree in Sociology from IGNOU as well. He is a journalist turned media educator with more than 10 years of experience in journalism and one year of teaching experience as a lecturer of mass communication. Prior to CSF, Tarendra joined the Azim Premji Foundation as a fellow and learnt about the school ecosystem and worked on development of interventions to improve learning outcomes. He is a movie buff, avid reader, passionate writer and traveler.

Meshi works with the Partnerships & New Initiative team to support the Managing director’s office with projects relating to forging new partnerships, donor portfolio management & supporting organizational development. She is a management graduate from St. Joseph’s College of Commerce where she specialized in Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Before joining CSF, she completed her two-year Teach For India fellowship, where she taught a group of 56 students from the Malvani Slum community in Mumbai. In her spare time, she likes to binge on crime shows and investigative documentaries.

Tejas works with the Government Partnerships team and supports the Gujarat Education Department in strategizing and implementing programs around DIKSHA (a national e-learning platform). Prior to CSF, Tejas was working at Godrej when he decided to take a two-year sabbatical to join the Teach for India fellowship. Post TFI, he decided to continue working towards improving the current state of education in the country and therefore joined CSF to leverage his grassroots experiences in schools and communities to make an impact at scale. Tejas holds a bachelor’s in Engineering from M S University of Baroda and in his free time, he enjoys adventure activities, exploring magic tricks, and solving puzzles in his leisure time.