Deval's background as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley has enabled him to develop a unique philanthropic investment model that brings rigor and discipline to the sector. Deval leads the organization, deeply engaged in our investments and portfolio work, whilst continually strengthening Dasra’s relations with donors, partners and other external bodies. He co-created India’s first venture philanthropy fund, Impact Partners in 1999, and played a pivotal role in incubating and scaling organizations including Magic Bus, Rural Innovations Network, and Aangan Trust. Deval also created an institutional training hub for international organizations entering India, including TechnoServe.

Deval is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, completing his Bachelor of Business Administration with a dual Honors degree Business and Finance and a minor in Asian Studies.

Neera’s expertise maximizing social return on investment is derived from her strong corporate background advising investors and valuing companies at Morgan Stanley, UBS Warburg and Harvard Business School. At Dasra she currently manages the distribution of over $2.5 million into the Indian non-profit sector for LGT Venture Philanthropy, and she has recently worked with Bright Futures, Prerana and Ruchika Social Service Organization. She has mentored and tutored many Ashoka Fellows and Social Impact Entrepreneurs.

Neera holds and Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Bachelor in Statistical Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts Honors in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.

Alison brings distinctive experience to her role as Director of Investor Relations at Dasra, from her time as a senior specialist at Christie’s in British and Anglo-Indian art, 7 years during the early years of growth at Magic Bus, and her more recent role heading up Magic Bus’s sustainability department. Alison is opening the Dasra UK office, overseas communications and is forging strong connections with a wide variety of donors and partners in the European giving space.

Alison has an MA Joint Honors in German and History of Art from The University of Edinburgh, as well as diploma in Cross-Sector Partnerships from Cambridge University, part one of an MA in International Development.

She has 12 years public relations and marketing experience working with multinational companies in Asia and the UK, including Head of Consumer and International Public Relations for British Airways.

Due to his in-depth understanding of the sector and its needs, numerous philanthropists and donors including American Jewish World Service have looked to Vana for hands-on-support and guidance, and he has led the distribution over $1 million for Dasra in disaster-affected areas. He continues to be instrumental in strengthening community participation and problem-solving capacity in a variety of organizations in Tamil Nadu.

In addition to Dasra, Vana is the founder chairman of Manitham Trust, an organization improving the quality of education in South India. Vana completed his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the American College of Madurai and his Bachelor of Arts in Education from Bharathiar University.

At Dasra Parthiban assists funders investing in projects and provides much needed on-the-ground-support for their investments as well as being responsible for much of the Dasra Social-Impact workshops. He has facilitated a community exchange program, creating learning and teaching spaces for both NGO staff and community members from different backgrounds in south India. Parthiban brings experience as a lecturer in Social Work at the American College, Madurai, to help organizations streamline their documentation process, and develop impact assessment tools. He has also scouted a variety of sectors to identify organizations capable of effectively implementing programs to invest in. Prior to Dasra, Parthiban worked at the Department of Social Work at the American College of Madurai as a lecturer. He has a Bachelors in Economics and Masters in Social Work from the American College, affiliated to the Madurai Kamaraj University.

She has lived and worked in Tanzania, as a sexual health peer educator, in the UK for the Development Office of the University of Oxford looking after donors and for Stop Climate Chaos, a major UK climate change coalition, assisting in the organization of a variety of events, some of over 25,000 people, and media activities. Prior to joining Dasra, she lived and worked in Mongolia as the fundraiser for the Mongolian Education Alliance. Zuhura ensures Dasra’s work is known about through a variety of communication materials, the website and events, including the Indian Philanthropy Forum, the Dasra Social-Impact mentoring program and other partnerships and events. She keeps investors, partner organizations and friends of Dasra connected to Dasra activities. Zuhura has a BSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

She also takes care of Dasra’s administrative responsibilities and some human resources duties. Sarika is a vital assistant in the day to day running of the office and when organising the Dasra-Social-Impact workshops. Prior to joining Dasra, Sarika worked with Diamond Jubilee High School for Girls in the Administration Department for 2 and half years, her responsibilities included handling the budget, accounts and IT maintenance. Sarika holds a Post Graduate Degree in Commerce from the University of Mumbai.