Dr. A. Adityanjee, President and Chairperson, Board of Directors

Adityanjee@ichrrf.org

Dr. Adityanjee is a practicing psychiatrist who has worked as a clinician and psychiatrist in four different countries on three different continents. He has interacted with people from various ethnic, racial, religious, social and cultural backgrounds over his 40 years’ experience as a psychiatrist. He is passionately interested in the cultural, spiritual, religious and human rights of various marginalized and persecuted minorities world-wide. During his student life, as a young medical student he was involved with human rights organizations like Amnesty International and People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). He has also worked on several resettlement projects on rehabilitation of Bhutanese refugees in the US.

Prof. Dr. Yashwant Pathak, Member of the Board of Directors

yashwant.pathak@ichrrf.org

Dr. Pathak has completed a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Technology and EMBA & MS in Conflict Management. He is Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. He has been named fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. He has about 200 publications, 3 US patents, 2 patent application, 30+ edited books. He has travelled in 80 countries and lectured in more than 100 universities around the world. He has received awards such as Fulbright Fellowships, Outstanding faculty award at USF, and Global Engagement Achievement Award from USF.  He has received awards from Australia, Brazil, UK, New Zealand, Ecuador and Trinidad and Tobago, India and China. He volunteers his time for many nonprofit organizations including, International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation (ICERM.org), Uberoi Foundation for Religious Studies (Uberoi.org), Research institute for world ancient tradition and cultural heritage (RIWATCH.org), International Center for Cultural Studies (Iccsglobal.org) and many others.

Krishna Adusumilli, Member of the Board of Directors

krishna.adusumilli@ichrrf.org

Krishna Adusumilli is a keen follower of social issues that crop up in developing societies that are making a transition to an industrialized economy. He has been an advocate of human rights in such societies that also have an entrenched feudal past that impinges upon the present. As a contributor to various welfare projects, he supports agriculture and rural development initiatives that empower labor and marginalized farmers. The equitable distribution of natural resources, particularly water, is an important area in his activism. He is also part of a number of advocacy groups based on the principle that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, no matter what geographical or cultural sphere. Professionally, Krishna Adusumilli works in the field of Information Technology.

Dr. Shekhar Patel, Secretary of the Board of Directors

shekhar.patel@ichrrf.org

Dr. Shekhar Patel is socially active as the President of the International Center for Cultural Studies, USA, where he works with leaders of various indigenous traditions across the globe. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Hindu University of America and supports the governance committee of the University. Professionally, he is Senior Vice President at a Private Company and has a doctorate in Biosystems Engineering.

Dr. Yashodhan Agalgaonkar, Member of the Board of Directors

yashodhan.agalgaonkar@ichrrf.org

Dr. Agalgaonkar is a scientist by profession and a senior researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory at Greater Denver in the United States. Educated in India, Sweden and finally completing his Ph.D. and post-doctoral research at the Imperial College, London, he is already well published and has been a featured speaker at several international conferences, having also held professional positions in Australia, Germany and India. Dr. Agolgaonkar has worked on the issue of human rights in the past and has served as a visiting faculty supervisor for our Ved Nanda Fellowship Training program. In particular, Yashodhan participates in a voluntary capacity in the field of Children's rights. His interests include educational rights for poor children across the world. He has participated in several National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, India conferences as a pro bono work for altruistic endeavors. He also has an academic interest in innovative social programs to improve human development.  He is a proponent of sustainable development goals and enjoys studying policy frameworks for achieving these goals, specifically for developing countries.

Carl Clemens, Executive Director

carl.clemens@ichrrf.org

Carl Clemens has contributed as an author to articles and books on subjects at the intersection of public policy, information technology and contemporary and historical religious or ideological currents in society. He co-authored a book on language and education policy, focusing on the history of discriminatory language policies in India, the United States, Iran and China. He has advocated for a fair narrative on the past and present turmoil surrounding the Sikh and Baloch communities in South Asia, and has helped compile and analyze statistics on human rights violations in that region. Professionally, he works in the field of Information Technology and is a student of Persian and classical Sanskrit. 

 Prof. Dr. Nalini Rao, Director of Academic Affairs

academia@ichrrf.org

Dr. Nalini Rao holds a  Ph.D. in Art History from UCLA and another in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of Mysore, India.  Rao's specialization includes South and Southeast Asian Art, Ancient and Modern. Presently, she is Associate Prof. of World Art at Soka University of America, CA, U.S.A., where she teaches, Indian History, Art and Religion, Ancient and Modern  Art and Architecture.   Rao is the author of several books, such as The Hindu Monastery in South India: Social, Religious and Artistic Traditions (Lexington Books, 2020), (ed.) Sindhu-Sarasvati Civlilization: New Perspectives  Boundaries and Transformations,  Sangama: Confluence of Art and Culture during the Vijayanagara Period, Royal  Imagery and Networks of Power at Vijayanagara: A Study of Kingship in  South India, Lothal, Belur  and Sravanabelagola. She has published numerous research articles, curated Indian Art exhibits and organized international conferences. She is the Chair of the Dr. S.R. Rao Memorial Foundation for Indian Archaeology, Art and Culture and Chair, Taksha Center of History and Archaeology.    

Prof. Dr. Lavanya Vemsani, Director of Research

research@ichrrf.org

Dr. Lavanya Vemsani is multi-award-winning scholar and Distinguished University Professor of History at Shawnee State University in the Department of Social Sciences. Vemsani is also an Honorary Visiting Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, in the Department of Historical Studies. She holds two doctorates in the subjects of Religious Studies (McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada) and History (University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India) respectively. Her research and teaching interests are interdisciplinary and manifold. She researches and publishes on subjects of ancient history and religions as well as the current history of India. Vemsani is the author of several books as well as a number of articles on the history and religions of the Indian Subcontinent.  She is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Indic Religions (2020-2023); American Journal of Indic Studies (2018-2020); International Journal of Dharma and Hindu Studies (2015-17), and associate editor of Canadian Journal of History; The Airforce Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, and Journal of South Asian Religious History (2017-20). Prof. Vemsani served as President of the Ohio Academy of History (2018-21).

Kofi Sarpong, Director of Outreach - Africa Region

Kofi Sarpong comes to ICHRRF from Ghana and networks and provides outreach to the whole African continent with 55 countries. He brings extensive international experience with him to ICHRRF. He lives a multifaceted life, and has worked in Ghana, Austria and the UK. His spiritual quest and personal practice has built relationships across traditions, including indigenous African religions, African Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. He is the owner and Director of an import-export company. He has a degree in book-keeping  and a diploma in accounting. 

Dimple Kaul, Director of Outreach - South Asia Region

dimple.kaul@ichrrf.org

Dimple Kaul's education spans the humanities (MA Liberal Arts, St John’s College, Annapolis), technology (B.E., Electronics and Communication), and business management (MMS).  Professionally, she has guided complex technical and operational activities in austere environments, working with several multinational corporations. As a human rights advocate, she volunteers for multiple causes to raise community awareness. She has been guiding several nonprofit organizations through strategic initiatives, serving as a volunteer consultant, communications executive and life coach. She has been felicitated as an iconic woman by Women's Economic Forum. Growing up in a minority community that has faced religious persecution and forced exodus, Dimple's conviction is that a compassionate, non-judgmental, informed, collaborative approach is needed to resolve political and religious differences. She previously served as ICHRRF's Director of Communications and has now shifted responsibilities as Director of Outreach for the South Asian Region.

Brett Chapman, Director of Outreach - First Nations of America

Brett Chapman, Esq. is an attorney focused on Native American rights. He comes to the team ICHRRF from the great state of Oklahoma and will network and provide outreach to the First Nations of America. He has served as Assistant District Attorney in Oklahoma, and has published case law. He is Ponca, Kiowa, and an enrolled member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. His Ponca ancestors were involved in a landmark civil rights case in 1879 in which the first Native American was granted civil rights in the United States. Chapman's work in this regard continues to focus on correcting the historical narrative to facilitate true reconciliation and create a stable future for the United States in its encounter with diversity. 

Dr. Heshu Rahman, Director of Outreach - Kurdish Communities

Dr. Rahman is an Iraqi Kurd from the city of Sulaimaniyah in northern Iraq. Graduating with degrees in Veterinary science and Microbiology in Iraq, she finally completed a Ph.D. and Post-Doctoral research work in Hematology and Clinical Pathology from Universiti Putra Malaysia. A scientific medical researcher (scholar citation), she has over 110 journal articles, 3 books, 3 co-authorships, 8 patents and 10 research awards to her name. The nanoZER is one of the products of her research. She and her husband are also strong advocates of Kurdish Human Rights across Kurdish Communities spread across their historical homeland spanning parts of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.

Hardam H. Tripathi, Esq., Director of Legal Affairs

Tripathi is a U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law Attorney, admitted to practice in immigration court as an advocate and counselor in all 50 states in the Union via Federal Jurisdiction. Prior to launching his own law firm, Tripathi served as a management consultant with a Big Four firm, representing clients in matters related to strategic risk intelligence & risk management consulting in the government and public services space. Tripathi has also worked for various other small to mid-size firms in Florida, providing regulatory and policy advice to aid clients effectively navigate Federal and state government programs. Tripathi’s legal education and professional experience with stints at Federal agencies and state government, has served as a catalyst to aid clients understand the regulations, policies, and procedures related to their immigration needs. His knowledge in prior policy application and statutory interpretation, contributes to positive outcomes for clients. Tripathi devotes a significant amount of time encouraging best practices in the immigration law space and regularly meets with members of Congress to advocate for authorization of higher levels of funding appropriations related to public health initiatives that arise post-disaster in immigrant communities, and actively lobbies Congress for Immigrant Veterans who are deported post-service with Other Than Honorable discharges.

Dirk Lang, Director of Outreach - Germany

Dirk Lang received his education from the  Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany in  literature and medieval studies with minors in Romanian Studies and Hungarian Studies. A multi-talented individual with a wide variety of interests, he has worked in the hospitality industry, culinary and catering industries and has been mainly involved in facility management. His personal interests include Eastern philosophies including Yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism and spirituality.  His main focus at ICHRRF is to monitor the human rights situation in Germany and its extended cultural sphere, including the treatment of minorities such as the Romani in this region.

Raksha Singh Semnarayan, Esq., Director of Outreach - South Africa

Raksha Singh Semnarayan is an Admitted Attorney in the High Court of South Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science, Bachelor of Laws,  Masters of Law and Masters of Business Administration degrees.  Raksha was passionate about human rights since her youth and made submissions to the Constitutional Assembly which was tasked with drafting the first democratic Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Raksha’s submissions were on behalf of various religious and social justice organizations and advocated for the Constitution to uphold religious freedom and other human rights; to not create one religion superior to others; to create Statutory Bodies that protected religious and human  rights and freedom and other similar issues. In recognition of her contribution, Raksha was invited to the inauguration of the Constitution Ceremony in Parliament in 1996. Most of her input was accepted and included in the Constitution. During her career Raksha has made presentations and submissions on behalf of the government and other bodies  before the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, the International Financial Action Task Force, and at international seminars on various regulatory and legal issues. She served as head of Regulatory in the South African Reserve Bank and Chief Legal officer for BankservAfrica amongst other positions. Raksha currently continues to  advocate for social justice and religious freedom through serving on various non-governmental organizations and making representations to regulatory bodies, media and other bodies. At ICHRRF, she will be working on a research project on Human Rights, Gender violence and Religious Tolerance and Freedom in South Africa". 

Brittany Kula, Director of Communications

Brittany is an impassioned marketing and communications professional with a long history of nonprofit experience. Her promotional writing has been published for local, national, and international consumers and press affiliates. Brittany's work ranges from educating the public regarding topics such as the unhousing and opioid crisis to the pedagogy of music history to Cleveland's youth. Creating a difference through community outreach, she has organized charity events, volunteer recruitment, and donor engagement. She looks forward to finishing her MBA program and using her degree to continue to advance socially important causes.

Christina Boozer, Director of Planning

christina.boozer@ichrrf.org

Christina Boozer, LISW-S, ACSW, MBA, is a licensed independent Social Worker with Supervisory Designation. She is a mental health therapist specializing in suicide prevention and healing trauma. Christina has served at the local and national levels on Quality Improvement and System Redesign initiatives and presented on national education calls. Christina is a certified Anti-Oppression Informed Practitioner in her region and earned a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace certificate from the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business. Having interacted with people from all walks of life, Christina has a passion for diverse cultures and religions, upholding Human Rights and Religious Freedom, and educating others about the benefits of building respectful, collaborative, diverse and harmonious relationships. As Director of Planning, Christine helps plan and organize all of ICHRRF's internal and public events, including the Speaking Up series for activists and academics, symposia and conferences, and Human Rights hearings.

Dr. Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, Director of Outreach - Afghanistan

Anarkali Kaur Honaryar is a medical doctor by profession and a Human Rights activist, starting her career in public life as a member of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in 2004. Pursuing her career as a women rights activist, for the past 10 years she was a senator representing the Hindu-Sikh minorities in Afghan Parliament. As a senator, she served as the head of the national economy commission, member of cultural affairs commission, and member of international relations commission. She was also selected as a member of the peace council representing the Afghan democratic government. Her work was recognized with many awards, notably the UNESCO prize for promotion of tolerance and non violence.

Prof. Harilal Patel, Treasurer

Patel is a retired Environmental scientist and Pharmaceutical entrepreneur. A graduate of IIT Mumbai and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (MSc., MS. MPH), he is Adjunct Professor of Environmental Monitoring and Occupational Health. He has worked 45 years in the Environmental Quality field in consulting, government and personal business. He is a member of the international organization, Air and Waste management Association. He has chaired the Environmental Education Committee, the SW PA Air Quality Partnership, is a member of the Heinz Foundation’s Environment and Energy committee to help Eastern Europe, has visited and monitored Russia and the Czech Republic as advisor to the air quality monitoring program on behalf of USEPA. He has presented on the subject in South Korea and India. His family adopted a two-mile highway for 15 years to maintain cleanliness under the Keep America Beautiful program. In addition, he has worked with refugee settlement and the homeless for the last 20 years. He is an active member of interfaith community in Monroeville, PA and served on local municipal committees. For 6 years, he served on Pennsylvania Attorney general and Governors’ committee on Asia pacific advisory committee.

Prof. Sen Nieh, Director of Outreach - Northeast Asia Region

Professor Sen Nieh is a senior professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Catholic University of America, having previously served 5 consecutive terms as Department Chair. Prof. Nieh’s areas of research interests include Energy Systems, Combustion Engineering, Thermal Sciences, Multiphase Mechanics, and Environmental Engineering, and he has published 100+ scientific research papers, 1 college textbook, 1 computer code, and 7 US/Foreign patents. He is the recipient of Lectureship Award of the United Nations, Charles Karman Teaching Excellence Award at CUA, and Honorary Professorship of 6 universities in Taiwan and China. Prof. Nieh keeps a close watch on the policies of the Communist Party of China and has been a vociferous advocate against the suppression of Human Rights in mainland China.

Position open, Deputy Director

Prof. Dr. Lavanya Vemsani, Director of Research

research@ichrrf.org

Dr. Lavanya Vemsani is multi-award-winning scholar and Distinguished University Professor of History at Shawnee State University in the Department of Social Sciences. Vemsani is also an Honorary Visiting Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, in the Department of Historical Studies. She holds two doctorates in the subjects of Religious Studies (McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada) and History (University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India) respectively. Her research and teaching interests are interdisciplinary and manifold. She researches and publishes on subjects of ancient history and religions as well as the current history of India. Vemsani is the author of several books as well as a number of articles on the history and religions of the Indian Subcontinent.  She is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Indic Religions (2020-2023); American Journal of Indic Studies (2018-2020); International Journal of Dharma and Hindu Studies (2015-17), and associate editor of Canadian Journal of History; The Airforce Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, and Journal of South Asian Religious History (2017-20). Prof. Vemsani served as President of the Ohio Academy of History (2018-21).

Dr. Julieta Rotaru, Honorary Director of Roma Studies

julieta.rotaru@gmail.com

Dr. Julieta Rotaru is a scholar specializing in Vedic and Romani studies. Her areas of expertise include textual criticism, philology, ethnology, and history. She has published two critical editions and translations of old Romani čhib and Vedic, a monograph on the Rudari ethnic group from South-Eastern Europe, and a dataset of the Romani population pre-Emancipation (available on the EU information portal). In total, she has contributed to 18 articles in Vedic studies and 11 in Romani studies. With 17 years of teaching experience, Dr. Rotaru was instrumental in developing the BA syllabus for the Department of Romani at the University of Bucharest in 2005. This was the second of its kind in Europe and has played a significant role in shaping the Roma elites. Since 2019, she has been the managing editor of the Romani Studies journal, published by the Gypsy Lore Society. In 2022, she took on the role of Secretary General of the Society. Currently, she teaches Romani čhib, Sanskrit, and Vedic at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales and the Institut des Langues Rares, École Pratique des Hautes Études-PSL, in Paris.

Dr. Daniel Domingo Lopez, Member of the International Advisory Board

Dr. Daniel Domingo Lopez is a life-long educationist with a doctorate in that field. He holds academic appointments in three  different countries, viz., Guatemala, Spain and Switzerland. Based in Guatemala, he is a human rights activist who brings academic scholarship, teaching credentials and research experience in the field of Mayan Education to his work. From 1999 to 2000 he served as Director of the National Counsel of Mayan Education. He is also consultant and assessor to several indigenous national and international organizations. From 2016 to 2020, he served as Deputy Minister of National Intercultural Bilingual Education. He has authored numerous papers and documents, including a book titled “Mayan Cosmovision and Plenitude of Life”, based on the 2005 National Report on Human development. 

Prof. Dr. Edward P. Butler, Member of the International Advisory Board

Edward P. Butler received his doctorate in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research in 2004 for his dissertation "The Metaphysics of Polytheism in Proclus". Since then, he has published regularly in academic journals and edited volumes, primarily on Platonism, the polytheistic philosophy of religion, and the theologies of several polytheistic traditions. From 2014-2019 he was co-editor of Walking the Worlds: A Biannual Journal of Polytheism and Spiritwork, and presently serves on the advisory board of the journal Oscillations: Non-Standard Experiments in Anthropology, the Social Sciences, and Cosmology. A practicing devotional polytheist for his entire adult life, he is an advocate for the preservation, restoration and revival of polytheistic traditions around the globe as the director of the Center for Global Polytheist and Indigenous Traditions at INDICA since 2021. More information about his work is available at his website on Henadology. He brings to ICHRRF tremendous scholarship, rigorous academic experience, knowledge and wisdom and lived experience .

Prof. Dr. Arvind Sharma, Member of the International Advisory Board

Dr. Arvind Sharma is the Birks Professor of Comparative Religion in the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University. He has hosted three global conferences on World's Religions After September 11 ( 2006, 2011, 2016). These conferences culminated in the release of a Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World's Religions. After completing his M.A. in Economics from Syracuse University in 1970, his interest in the role of non-economic factors in economic development, especially religion, led him to obtain a Master’s in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School (1974) and then a Ph.D. in Sanskrit and Indian Studies from Harvard University (1978). He has also taught at the University of Queensland, Australia, in 1976. He brings with him tremendous scholarship, rigorous academic experience, knowledge and wisdom. 

Prof. Claude d'Estree, Member of the International Advisory Board

Ven. Prof. Claude d’Estrée is a Professor of International Law and Human Rights and the Buddhist Chaplain at the University of Denver (DU) and  has been a member of the faculty since 2002.  His first position at DU was a joint appointment at the Department of Religion, the Department of Philosophy and at Sturm College of Law, where he was fortunate to work closely with Professor Ved Nanda and Katharine Nanda. In 2004 he moved to the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at DU. He received his M.T.S. in Comparative Religion at Harvard Divinity School, the P.O.N. (Program on Negotiation) at Harvard Law School and his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.  He was appointed as the first Buddhist Chaplain to Harvard University by H.H. the Dalai Lama in 1979 and is a lineage holder in both the Gelug-pa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and the Jogye Order of Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhism.  He has been teaching “International Humanitarian Law of Armed Conflict (IHL/LOAC)” as well as courses on “Torture,” “International Law and Human Rights,” “Forced Labor and Human Trafficking,” “Climate Justice,” “Climate Migration and Human Rights,” and “Trafficking in Persons/Smuggling of Migrants (TIP/SOM).”  He was the founder and director of the Human Trafficking Center and the director of the Center on Human Rights Education.  He is a former Special Rapporteur to the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) and advisor to E4J (Education for Justice), an initiative of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) where he was given the Education for Justice Champions Award in 2020.