KOA Board Meeting – January 18, 2015 Minutes of the Meetingkoausa.org/minutes/2015/KOA Board...

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Office of the President, 22310 Bridgestone Canyon Dr, Spring, Texas – 77388

Tel: 281-387-1877 (Cel) http://www.koausa.org , e-mail: [email protected]

KOA Board Meeting – January 18, 2015

Minutes of the Meeting The Board meeting, which was conducted as a telephonic conference call, was held on January 18, 2015

at 5PM (EST). All Board members and Executive team members were invited to this meeting.

The agenda items for this meeting were:

• Welcome

• Vote of Thanks

• Programs and Projects

• KOA Teams

• Introductions

• Contact Info

• Board Meetings

• Quorum & Voting

• Expectations

• Profiles

• Miscellaneous Topics

The following table indicates which Board members and the Executive team members were present in

the meeting:

Name Position Present

Sunil Fotedar KOA President Yes

Anil Mattoo Director, Zone 1 Absent

Raj Kaul Director, Zone 2 Yes

Nirja Sadhu Director, Zone 3 Yes

Shakun Munshi Malik Director, Zone 4 Yes

Madhu Moza Director, Zone 5 Yes

Suresh Sus Director, Zone 6 Yes

Sudesh Saraf* Director, Zone 7 Yes

Veena Kaul Director, Zone 8 Yes

Maneesha Munshi Director, Zone 9 Yes

Sanjay Dhar Director, Zone 10 Yes




Rajesh Kachroo* Secretary Yes

Rajeev Kaul* Treasurer Absent

* NOTE: Approved by the board in Jan 18, 2015 telecon

Motion for Vote of Thanks:

To thank the previous KOA administration and the team of volunteers for their services to the

association, the president moved the following motion for the vote of thanks:

• On behalf of our community, newly elected President and the board members would like to

express a vote of thanks to the outgoing President Dr. Surinder Kaul, his executive committee

members - Rajni Kaul (Vice President), Ajay Tikoo (Secretary), Rajeev Kaul (Treasurer), and the

board members for smooth and successful operation of the organization during a critical time

period. Their vision, interest, and hard work with the leadership of Dr. Surinder Kaul has

culminated in a stronger organization. We very much appreciate their effort, time, and

dedication.

The final votes received were:

Name Vote

Sunil Fotedar Yes

Anil Mattoo Yes#

Raj Kaul Yes

Nirja Sadhu Yes

Shakun Munshi Malik Yes

Madhu Moza Yes

Suresh Sus Yes

Sudesh Saraf Yes

Veena Kaul Yes

Maneesha Munshi Yes

Sanjay Dhar Yes

Note: # Electronic vote.

Board approval for the KOA Executive Team (2015-2016)

The Board approved the following Executive team for 2015-2016:




BoD

Vote for Rajesh

Kachroo, Secretary

Vote for Rajeev Kaul,

Treasurer

Vote for Sudesh Saraf, Vice-President

Sunil Fotedar Yes Yes Yes

Anil Mattoo Yes# Yes# Yes#

Raj Kaul Yes Yes Yes

Nirja Sadhu Yes Yes Yes

Shakun Munshi Malik Yes Yes Yes

Madhu Moza Yes Yes Yes

Suresh Sus Yes Yes Yes

Sudesh Saraf Yes Yes Yes

Veena Kaul Yes Yes Yes

Maneesha Munshi Yes Yes Yes

Sanjay Dhar Yes Yes Yes

Note: # Electronic vote.




Board approval for the KOA Program Directors (2015-2016)

The president discussed various India-bound as well as US-based programs, with an emphasis on US-based programs. The Board approved the

following program directors for various KOA programs:

Program Directors

KOA Program Sunil

Fotedar President

Anil Mattoo

Director, Zone 1

Raj Koul Director, Zone 2

Nirja Sadhu

Director, Zone 3

Shkaun Malik

Director, Zone 4

Madhu Moza

Director, Zone 5

Suresh Sus

Director, Zone 6

Sudesh Saraf

Director, Zone 7

Veena kaul

Director, Zone 8

Maneesha Munshi

Director, Zone 9

Sanjay Dhar

Director, Zone 10

Tej N. Kaul

EAP Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Pran Kaul SAC Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Abstain Yes Yes Yes Yes

Dhiraj Kotwal

Medical Fund Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Chand Bhan**

Medical Fund - fundraiser

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Rakesh Kaul, Sr.

India Outreach Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Hira Koul Achievement

Award Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Sunil Dhar***

Achievement Award

Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes




Program Directors

KOA Program Sunil

Fotedar President

Anil Mattoo

Director, Zone 1


Nirja Sadhu

Director, Zone 3

Shkaun Malik

Director, Zone 4

Madhu Moza

Director, Zone 5

Suresh Sus

Director, Zone 6

Sudesh Saraf

Director, Zone 7

Veena kaul

Director, Zone 8

Maneesha Munshi

Director, Zone 9

Sanjay Dhar

Director, Zone 10

Omanand Koul

Transformation Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Ashish Kak

Webmaster Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Maneesha Munshi

KOA Youth Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Nirja Sadhu

Membership Drive


Suresh Sus,

Sanjay Dhar

Oversight - India-Bound programs*


Shakun Munshi Malik

Networking - Health

Professionals Yes Yes# Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Anil Mattoo

Networking - Health

Professionals Yes#

Yes# Yes# Yes# Yes# Yes# Yes# Yes# Yes# Absent




Program Directors

KOA Program Sunil

Fotedar President

Anil Mattoo

Director, Zone 1


Nirja Sadhu

Director, Zone 3

Shkaun Malik

Director, Zone 4

Madhu Moza

Director, Zone 5

Suresh Sus

Director, Zone 6

Sudesh Saraf

Director, Zone 7

Veena kaul

Director, Zone 8

Maneesha Munshi

Director, Zone 9

Sanjay Dhar

Director, Zone 10

Sudesh Saraf

Networking - Entrepreneur


NOTE:

* India-bound Programs

** No approval required for fundraising activity (Medical Funds)

*** Approved as Program Co-director for 2015, and as Program Directors for 2016

# Electronic vote




Besides approval for the directors for the specific programs, it being Jan 18th

, a day before everything

changed for many of our community, a minute of silence was observed for all the misery our community

had to go through.

Several miscellaneous items of discussion were – status of KOA calendar that the president has decided

to send to all the community members – those who are members and to those who we wish to become

members. Additionally, various venues of the July 4th

camp were discussed. Status of KOA forums and

website were also discussed. Back to Zones funds resolution was postponed for further discussion as

Zone 6 director had some reservations.

KOA Board Meeting SlidesSunil Fotedar, TX

Agenda• Welcome

• Vote of Thanks

• Programs and Projects

• KOA Teams

• Introductions

• Contact Info

• Board Meetings

• Quorum & Voting

• Expectations

• Profiles

• Miscellaneous Topics

2January 18, 2015 KOA Board Meeting Slides

3January 18, 2015

Vote of Thanks

KOA Board Meeting Slides

Motion for vote of thanks -

• On behalf of our community, newly elected President and the board

members would like to express a vote of thanks to the outgoing President

Dr. Surinder Kaul, his executive committee members - Rajni Kaul (Vice

President), Ajay Tikoo (Secretary), Rajeev Kaul (Treasurer), and the

board members for smooth and successful operation of the organization

during a critical time period. Their vision, interest, and hardwork with the

leadership of Dr. Surinder Kaul has culminated in a stronger

organization. We very much appreciate their effort, time, and dedication.

KOA Programs and Projects

• Save a Child Program

• Educational Assistance Program

• Medical Fund Program

• India Outreach Program


Programs

India-Bound US-based

• KOA Achievement Awards

• Transformation

• Networking

• Health Professionals, Academics, Entrepreneur, Office Executives, Business Executives

• KOA Membership Drive

• Print Fund + General Donations

• KOA Youth

• KOA Media

• KOA Website

Focus: Emphasis is on building projects for members based in USA:

“Let us bring KOA back to USA”.

Source: http://koausa.org/koa/organization/structure/

• Calendar

• Directory

• KOA Camps (East & West Coast)

• e-Forums

• Newsletter (KPI, Kasheer)

• KOA Website Update - Status

• Miscellaneous

o Update program brochures

o KOA achievements over the years

o Donations (employer gift match)


Projects

KOA Programs and Projects

6January 18, 2015

KOA TeamsExecutive Team

• Secretary (Rajesh Kachroo, VA)

• Treasurer (Rajeev Kaul, NY)

• Vice President (Sudesh Saraf, IL)


• Save a Child (Pran Kaul)

• Educational Assistance Program (Tej N. Kaul)

• Medical Fund (Dhiraj Kotwal, Chand Bhan)

• India Outreach Program (Rakesh Kaul, Sr.)

• KOA Achievement Awards (Hira L. Koul/Sunil Dhar)

• Transformation (Omanand Koul)

• Networking

• Health Professionals (Shakun Malik) • Entrepreneur (Sudesh Saraf)• Academics• Office Executives• Business Executives

• KOA Membership Drive (Nirja Sadhu)

• KOA Youth (Maneesha Munshi)

• KOA Website (Ashish Kak)

• Print Fund + General Donations

• KOA Media

Miscellaneous

• Back to Zone Funds resolution

India-Bound

KOA Program Directors

US-Based

ARTICLE VI

OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION.

Section 1. Officers: The officers of the Corporation shall be a President,

Vice-President, Secretary and/or Treasurer. The President shall be

elected by the membership by direct ballot and shall serve as the Chief

Executive Officer of the Corporation. The President shall also be the

Chairman of the Board of directors. The Vice-President, Secretary and

Treasurer shall be nominated by the President and approved by the

Board of Directors. The Vice- President must be a Director.

7January 18, 2015

Introductions


• 2 minutes for each director

• Provide your profile - a short

write-up about yourself and a

color picture for KOA website

(updates included).

As an example,

http://koausa.org/koa/zone1/

8January 18, 2015

Contact Info

• Miscellaneous

o KOA board e-mails will be used for

sharing documentation and casting e-

votes primarily

o Prefer receiving a call over an e-mail.


• E-mails:

o [email protected] ,

[email protected]

• Availability

o 9am-9pm Weekends (Sat-Sun) and

Holidays

o 7pm-9pm evenings (Monday-Friday)

Board Meetings

• Schedule for 3rd Sunday of every 2-3 months

o Personal preference once every quarter

o Agenda, and supporting documentation, to be sent

one week in advance if meeting is held.

o Cancellations one week in advance (or if no agenda

sent)

• Special Meetings, Waivers, etc.


ARTICLE VII - MEETINGSSection 8. Regular Meetings of the Board: Regular meetings of the Directors may be

held on a date or dates and at a time or times to be designated from time to time by

resolution of the Board of Directors (without further notice to the Directors), at such

place or by tele-conference as may be determined from time to time by the Directors.

Quorum and Voting• Quorum of Directors

• 50% (fifty percent) of the Board members shall constitute a quorum for

a Board of Directors' meeting. (Article VIII, Section 2)

• President is 11th director (Article V, Section 1)


• Voting

• Meet quorum requirement

• At least 6 BoD in a teleconference meeting

• Possible votes

• Absent – 0 vote

• Abstain – 0 vote

• No – 0 vote

• Yes – 1 vote per director

• Simple majority – at least 6 YES votes

• 2/3rd majority – at least 8 YES votes

• Provide 1 week for e-voting

• Urgent cases – e-Voting (without teleconference)

• Provide 48 additional hours for e-voting

NOTE: No vote will be allowed to change after it has been cast.

Expectations

• Try your best to attend regularly scheduled meeting

• Prepare for each meeting and read the material provided in advance. If any

questions, contact President offline and/or zonal membership before casting a vote.

• Web access for each meeting

• Familiarity with KOA website


• For a program geared towards US membership (youth, kids, seniors)

• Provide name of 1 adult and 1 youth to work as a KOA volunteer from respective

zone.

• Engagement with zonal membership

• As a representative from zone, communicate with the zonal members on a regular

basis (social gathering, telecon, random phone calls to members and potential

members)

• Update contact information of members (for KOA Directory and seeking

membership)

• Provide 1 individual for each board meeting to provide 2-3 minute feedback

12January 18, 2015

Profiles

Rajesh Kachroo, VirginiaKOA Secretary

ProfileRajesh was born in Rainawari, Srinagar. He is the son of an eminent professor, Late Dr. Puran

Kachroo and Mrs. Koshaliya Ganjoo, who is a retired teacher. He completed his schooling from

Burn Hall School in Srinagar and then went on to obtain a degree in Mechanical Engineering from

MIT, Manipal. For his postgraduate education, he returned to his home state and completed his

MBA from the University of Jammu, where he also met his wife Preeti. They have two adorable

sons, Aveesh (15) and Arnav (11), and have been living in North Virginia for the last 7 years.

By profession, he is in sales and presently works for a Tier One IT services company where he

has also completed a Strategic Management certification course from Harvard Business School.

Rajesh is a passionate Kashmiri Pandit, a KOA member since his arrival to the US and is always

available for any cause for the greater good of the community. Those on social media know his

passion through his articles, blogs and posts. He is very unassuming and has created an apolitical

group of volunteers from the community to provide assistance where it is most needed.

He believes that everyone has something good to offer, something that lifts oneself and serves a

larger purpose; the ability to find that something is a quality of a true leader.

KOA Executive Team (2015-2016)


13January 18, 2015

Rajeev Kaul, New YorkKOA Treasurer

ProfileSh. Rajeev Kaul was born in Srinagar and came to USA as a student in 1988. He is a life

member of KOA. He runs a Financial /Accounting advisory firm in New York City. He lives in

Long Island with his wife Dr. Vanita Kaul and son Saagar and daughter Jherna.



Profiles

14January 18, 2015

Sudesh Saraf, IllinoisKOA Vice PresidentDirector, Zone 7

ProfileSudesh Saraf came to the U.S. in 1987 as a graduate engineering student at Illinois Institute

of Technology, Chicago. He got plugged in to the local KOA chapter right away and has been

part of the Chicago chapter of KOA ever since. He currently works in the construction industry

as V.P. of Engineering at an Architectural Engineering firm located in Darien, IL. Sudesh is

married to Ruby (Sunita Pajnu) Saraf since 1989, and they have raised three wonderful kids

(triplets) Kartik, Sneha and Maegha who are 22 years old and have graduated from college.

Sudesh has actively participated in Kashmiri community building at the local level. He also

unsuccessfully contested the Zone 7 directorship in 2005. Currently, he is involved in a local

initiative in Chicagoland area that is focused on teaching the kids in the community about

Kashmir History, heritage, language etc. so they are connected to and proud of their roots.

Sudeshji feels honored and privileged to represent Zone 7 at the national level and is

committed to serving our community with zeal and passion.



Profiles

15January 18, 2015

Pran Kaul, Fremont, CaliforniaProgram DirectorKOA Sponsor-A-Child

ObjectivesTo provide tuition, school supplies and living expenses to Kashmiri Pandit school children (K-12)

in refugee camps in India.

ProfileSh. Pran ji Kaul has been involved with several community programs since 1990 in the wake of

the exodus of the KP community from Kashmir Valley. Having seen the heart rending plight and

abject poverty of the refugees first hand back in 1990 and later, he started the children

sponsorship program in 1994-95 with the help of donations from caring members of the

community in the US, to help our poor brethren to educate their school going children. The

program has grown over the years from supporting about forty children in 1994 to about 350

children at present, thanks to our sponsors. The program was subsequently adopted by KOA a

few years ago to allow sponsors to take advantage of tax benefits for their contributions. He

continues directing and coordinating the program in US while local liaison in Jammu has been

doing so in Jammu.

KOA Program Directors (2015-2016)


Profiles

16January 18, 2015

Dr. Tej N. Kaul, Grand Island, New YorkProgram DirectorEducational Assistance Program

ObjectivesTo provide tuition, school supplies and living expenses to college-bound Kashmiri Pandit children

from refugee camps in India.

ProfileDr. Tej Nath ji Kaul joined private practice at Summit Pediatrics, in Niagara Falls, NY. Since July

1999, he has served as President of Summit Pediatrics and Chief of Pediatrics at Mt. Saint Mary’s

Hospital in Niagara Falls. In his spare time, he has been actively involved in humanitarian causes

in the US and India. He was one of the founders of the KOA Educational Assistance Program, and

has been running it since its inception in 1995. Dr. Kaul has established a charitable trust that runs

a non profit High School in Jammu since 1999. This school provides education to the children at

subsidized tuition.



Profiles

17January 18, 2015

Dr. Dhiraj Kotwal, TXProgram DirectorMedical Funds

ObjectivesTo provide financial help to treat seriously ill Kashmiri Pandits from refugee camps in India.

Profile Private practice internal medicine: Milwaukee, WI, 1999-2005

Infectious diseases fellowship: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 2005-2007

infectious diseases private practice, Dallas, TX, 2007 to date

Dr. Chand Bhan, CTFundraiserMedical Funds

Profile Dr. Chand K. Bhan was born and raised in Srinagar. He has received training in general internal

medicine and psychiatry. He came to the US in 1974, moved to Massachusetts in 1978, and has

been in private practice ever since. Chand ji has been involved with KOA since its inception in the

late seventies and has been a life member for over 15 years. He has been a member of the KOA

medical program since 2005 when it was initiated and took over as the program director in 2007.

His mission is to serve and give back to the KP community.



Profiles

18January 18, 2015

Rakesh K. Kaul, NJProgram DirectorIndia Outreach Program

Objectives• Partner with various social community organizations in India on preservation of our culture

and heritage.

• Evaluate some programs where in KOA can collaborate for tangible outcome.

ProfileRakesh K. Kaul is a community activist who is focused on Kashmiri culture, arts and

heritage. He has co-chaired The Arts of Kashmir Exhibition at Asia Society in 2008. He has

published articles on Kashmir including - Book on Durga personal and relevant to the times –

The Indian Express, July 2011; Midnight’s Refugees - The Indian Express, August 2011;

The 4 pawns on the Chatarunga Board – Shehjar, September 2008; How KP international

Diaspora can help in finding solutions in Jammu and Kashmir - Shehjar, February 2011; The

Idea of India and Core of Kashmir - The Indian Express, June 2012; Turning off

Shankaracharya’s beacon - The Indian Express, March 2014; NaamaRoopaAham’s role in

Indian History – Kashmir’s case history- Hindu Historiography Seminar Global Hindu Institute

2014, San Jose; India’s 25th Anniversary of the Night of Broken Bangles – The Indian

Express, January 2015



Profiles

19January 18, 2015

Omanand Koul, MACultural DirectorTransformation

Objectives• To lead a renaissance in Kashmir’s Dharmic civilization’s cultural assets.

• To identify and pursue key projects in preservation of our culture and heritage.

ProfileOmanand Koul resides in Burlington, Massachusetts. He has been active in the religious activities of

the Boston area Kashmiri Pundit Community. Over the years, he has been presenting the importance

and significance of various religious activities to the community members at such functions.



Profiles

20January 18, 2015

Dr. Hira L. Koul, East Lansing, MIProgram Director (2015)KOA Achievement Awards

ObjectiveEach year KOA awards one-time achievement award to Kashmiri Pandit College-bound student(s) living

in the USA. Any high school senior student meeting the program requirements qualifies to apply for this

award

ProfileDr. Hira L. Koul is a Professor in the Department of Statistics and Probability at Michigan State

University.

Sunil Dhar, NJProgram Co-Director (2015), Program Director (2016)KOA Achievement Awards

ProfileProfessor and Statistics Program Director, Department of Mathematical Sciences at New Jersey Institute

of Technology, Newark, NJ. Volunteer Teacher, for over fifteen years, at Vivekananda Vidyapith

(http://www.vidyapith.org/) - a school that provides character building education to children ages 5 to 18.



Profiles

21January 18, 2015

Ashish Kak, VirginiaKOA Webmaster

ProfileAshish Kak is formerly from Srinagar Kashmir and moved to USA about 16 years back. Currently, he is part of mid-level management at one of the Top Five consulting firms. Ashish functioned as Vice President, Director Zone-4 and Secretary in the previous KOA administrations. He was part of the KP extended family in multiple states including Northern California, Washington (Seattle), Illinois (Chicago), Eastern Michigan and presently resides in Washington DC metro area with his spouse Meenakshi and kids Aditya and Annika.

Ashish is an active member in the KOA Zone-4 (Washington DC Metro area) and continues to contribute to the KP community besides being a customary volunteer for his firm sponsored community work. He believes in the intrinsic vibrancy and capabilities of the KP community, which when harnessed can do wonders for our culture and people.

KOA Webmaster (2015-2016)


Profiles

22January 18, 2015

Maneesha Munshi, Northern CAKOA Director, Zone 9 (2015)Program Director (2015-2016)KOA Youth

Objective• To establish KOA Youth with their Zonal Director’s, Chapter Presidents.• To identify key initiatives that youth would like to undertake.• Create a database of youth with the help of youth representatives at zonal and chapter levels.• To identify need for regional youth camps.

ProfileManeesha Munshi was born in Sheetalnath, Srinagar and was there until her 3rd grade. Post exodus, her parents; Ashok, Meena and sister, Aneesha moved to Hyderabad which eventually became their second Home. She has been in the United States since 2008. Her passion for Kashmir started from seeing how her parents and grandparents longed to go to this place they once called Home. She thinks that the youth with their enthusiasm and the elders with their experience can bring the community together and help every one of us stay connected to the land of our roots.

KOA Youth (2015-2016)


Profiles

23January 18, 2015

Dr. Shakun Munshi MalikKOA Director, Zone 4 (2015-2016) Program Director (2015-2016)Networking – Health Professionals

Objective• Create a database of community health care professionals in USA.• Identify key projects that could benefit our community and KOA in long run.

ProfileThe experience of serving as zone-4 president over the last 2 years has been very enriching to Dr. Shakun Malik. She has come to know a lot of great people who have further enriched her knowledge about her Kashmiri heritage. She is particularly proud of our youth who have been active in her zone with Sunday school where they discuss our heritage and teach Kashmiri language to the younger ones.She considers Kashmiri Pandits a part of an extended family. “Our families all look and think different and it’s always been so. Families are whom you love because it provides support and a framework of values to each of its members. Family members teach each other, serve one another and share life’s joys and sorrows”.A family works together to overcome struggles and to provide happiness to each of its members.Shakun Malik is a graduate of Kashmir Medical College and is serving as the head, Thoracic and Head & Neck Cancer Therapeutics at the Clinical Investigations branch of National Cancer Institute/NIH. She is married to Rajat Pamposh Malik (a gastroenterologist by profession) and has two children Raevaand Hersh.

KOA Webmaster (2015-2016)


Profiles

24January 18, 2015

Sudesh Saraf, ILVice PresidentKOA Director, Zone 7 (2015-2016) Program Director (2015-2016)Networking - Entrepreneurs

Objective• Create a database of community Entrepreneurs• Initiate Youth workshop for Entrepreneurship in USA.• Identify key projects that could benefit our community and KOA in long run.

ProfileSudesh Saraf came to the U.S. in 1987 as a graduate engineering student at Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. He got plugged in to the local KOA chapter right away and has been part of the Chicago chapter of KOA ever since. He currently works in the construction industry as V.P. of Engineering at an Architectural Engineering firm located in Darien, IL. Sudesh is married to Ruby (Sunita Pajnu) Saraf since 1989, and they have raised three wonderful kids (triplets) Kartik, Sneha and Maegha who are 22 years old and have graduated from college. Sudesh has actively participated in Kashmiri community building at the local level. He also unsuccessfully contested the Zone 7 directorship in 2005. Currently, he is involved in a local initiative in Chicagoland area that is focused on teaching the kids in the community about Kashmir History, heritage, language etc. so they are connected to and proud of their roots.Sudeshji feels honored and privileged to represent Zone 7 at the national level and is committed to serving our community with zeal and passion.

Networking – Entrepreneur (2015-2016)


Profiles

25January 18, 2015

Nirja Sadhu, NJKOA Director, Zone 3 (2015-2016) Program Director (2015-2016)KOA Membership Drive

Objective• To actively seek membership

ProfileNirja Sadhu was born and brought up in Rainawari, Kashmiri She received her master’s degree in botany from Kashmir University. Like a lot of other KPs, she was forced to migrate from Srinagar after the Jan 19, 1990 events. She lived in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi until 2000, before moving to Dubai for a year. New Jersey has been home to Nirja and her family since 2002.She had been involved in the cause of Kashmiri migrant teachers while living in Delhi, and in recent years has played an active role in the temple reconstruction projects in Kashmir.She has a strong desire to bring the members of the US Kashmiri community together for social, cultural and networking purposes. Nirja is looking forward to working closely with the NJ-PA community to make KOA more meaningful and responsive to all age groups, especially our youth members.

KOA Membership Drive (2015-2016)


Profiles

26January 18, 2015

Suresh SusKOA Director, Zone 6 (2015-2016) Program Director (2015-2016)Oversight – India-Bound Programs

Objective• To assist in India-bound programs and create guidelines for operations of these programs

ProfileSuresh Sus was born and raised (Nave Sadek, Nursing Garh) in Srinagar Kashmir. He went to school at Hindu High School, Sheetalnath, and then on to DAV Higher Secondary School, Hazoori Bagh. Married to Phoola Ogra, the couple migrated to US in 1976. They have two sons – Neel and Nikhel(Nik).Suresh and Phoola are part of a thriving KP community in the Research Triangle Area, (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC) and have supported and participated in the cultural and social activities, in this area and within Zone 6. He was recognized for starting the Eastern NC Chapter of KOA Zone 6 in 2010, and was first elected to KOA Board of Directors, in May of 2013.

Oversight – India-Bound Programs (2015-2016)


Profiles

27January 18, 2015

Sanjay Dhar, Southern CAKOA Director, Zone 10 (2015) Program Director (2015-2016)Oversight – India-Bound Programs

Objective• To assist in India-bound programs and create guidelines for operations of these programs

ProfileDr. Sanjay Dhar has been in US for last 17 years and lives in Irvine, CA. Prior to settling down in California, he lived in Bethesda, MD and Boston, MA. He has been involved in community activities for a long time. He has previously served as the Membership Director of KOAUSA. He and his wife Jyotisuccessfully organized a Kashmir Awareness Event in Irvine, CA highlighting the genocide and mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits.Dr. Dhar is a scientist by profession with doctorate in molecular biology. His research is currently focused on the therapeutic applications of stem cell regenerative technology. Besides, he has been an avid sportsperson as well, and has represented the State of Jammu & Kashmir in Cricket at various levels (Ranji Trophy, C.K Naidu under-22 and Cooch Behar under-19) and Badminton (Junior Nationals). He also represented and led the Kashmir University Cricket and Badminton teams on several occasions.

Oversight – India-Bound Programs (2015-2016)


Profiles

Miscellaneous Topics

29January 18, 2015

Back to Zone Funds Resolution

• The KOA board in 2007 passed a resolution to return a certain

percentage of the total membership fee raised, back to zones for

offsetting the expenses incurred in organizing local events:

http://koausa.org/resolutions/2.html

• The ‘Back to Zone Funds” are to be used for purposes that are

completely in line with the mission of KOA. This includes cultural

events, community celebrations, publications that support our

mission, etc.

• Tabled for right now


30January 18, 2015

Benefits of KOA Memberships

Benefits of KOA Membership

Websites & e-Forums

Publications(KPI, Kasheer)

Youth Scholarships & Language Classes

Directory & Calendar

National & Regional Camps

Organize Lectures, Debates &

Symposiums

Promote Exchange of Artistes & Cultural

Activists

Programs to supportKP refugees in India


31January 18, 2015

• Kashmiri Member Directory • Kashmiri Calendar• Kashmir Pandit International (KPI) Newsletters• Magazine KASHEER

• Part of the membership money comes back to the zone for local chapter activities.

• Culture/Language classes for children (Age group 5 to 15 years)

• Provide Youth Camp/Language Course under Kashmir Institute for our Youth (Age group 16+)

• Provide Merit Scholarships for college bound children of paid members

• Organize National Camp and Regional Camps• Organize lectures, symposiums, and debates

• Promote exchange of Artistes and cultural Activists

• Produce and release music cassette/CD to preserve poetry and music

• Produce books, journals and periodicals to preserve culture

• Maintain 10 zonal e-groups to promote information exchange at Zonal level that connects every member in the US

• Maintain two web sites: koausa.org is a repository of information on history, culture, music, and, Kashmir-information.com provides Political Education

• Meet with officials to promote the cause of our community with focus on social and cultural issues

• Support fund-raising for our brethren in India. Some of KOA’s special programs structured for KP refugees in India include:

o Sponsor-A-Child program designed for school going children (Age group 5 to 17 years)

o Educational Assistance Program for college going children (Age 17+)

o Financial assistance to community members for medical and social conditions,

o Provide financial help for National calamities in India.

Benefits of KOA Memberships


32January 18, 2015

• Printed calendar to members and potentialmembers – 1500 in number

• Shivratri in February this year, Navreh in March

• Each month sponsored by 1 family or multiple families


KOA Calendar

33January 18, 2015

KOA Annual National Camps

• East Coast – July 4th

• West Coast – Labor Day

Source: http://koausa.org/koa/camps/


KOA Forums

History

• KPnet privately run from 1991-1996

o Praveen Raina, Subhash Kak, Shivi Fotedar, Sunil Fotedar,

Lalit Koul as moderators – in that order

o KPnet owned by KOA from 1997 through 2001

o KPnet goes private in 2001, called KPandit (Lalit Koul)

• KOAUSA and KOAzonei (i=1,2,3...,10) created in 2001-2002

o KOAUSA last updated during 2005 elections

• Currently has 405 approx. e-mail ids

• KOAzones have a total of 1500+ e-mails.

January 18, 2015 KOA Board Meeting Slides 35

Challenges

To make members look forward to receiving KOA e-mails

• Zonal forums KOAzonei (i=1,2,3...,10) moderated by zonal director

o Zonal forums were moderated a couple of times in the past

o Zonal forums should always serve local/zonal community and be independent of KOA

executive

o Because of the moderation, zonal members have now created their own private mailing

lists to communicate with local members that are outside the control of KOA

administration

• Private e-groups outside of KOA control


Going Forward

We understand that "business as usual" is not going to work. Going forward, KOA

admin should manage only 1 mailing list. We propose the following:

• Discontinue KOAUSA and de-centralize all the zonal forumso Let zonal issues stay local, and let the private e-mail groups be controlled by the local

members. Zone 2 member, as an example, does not need to hear views of any member

sitting in zone 8

o If the zonal group does not have a private e-mail group, we will provide e-mail ids of that

zone to create their own e-mail group

• Create a new mailing list for KOA's official communication with KPs living in US -members as well as potential-members (e.g. MailChimp)

o This is not going to be a discussion group

o A member is encouraged to provide feedback, ask questions, etc. by writing directly to the

executive and his/her own director who is his/her representative

o This approach is not to be confused with Moderation of a group. This is, in fact, how other

associations work that do not allow their members to broadcast their message using their

platform


KPI – Official Newsletter of KOA

This newsletter, if not published monthly, should at least come out quarterly.

o President's Message to the members

o Activities of association

o Updates to various KOA programs

o Board Resolutions passed

o Minutes of Board meetings

o Accounts (money raised for various programs, expenditures, etc.)

o Membership status

o Birth announcements/obituaries, etc.

o Some informative articles about our culture, religion, etc.

o Appeal for membership

o Advertisements


KOA Website Update - Status

KOA Web Update Status

• Tasks

o TASK 1: DYNAMIC WEBSITE UPDATE

o TASK 2: MATRIMONIAL

o TASK 3: MOBILE SUPPORT

o TASK 4: ETAPESTRY DATABASE REPLACEMENT

o TASK 5: STATIC WEBSITE UPDATE

o TASK 6: MAINTENANCE, OPERATIONS & UPGRADES

• Phases

o Phase 1: Task 1 + Task 2 + Task 4

o Phase 2: Task 3

o Phase 3: Task 5 + Task 6


KOA Web Update Status

• Detailed Software Requirements written

• Sought bids from 7 India-based software companies

• 6 bids received and evaluated by KOA Web Evaluation and Selection Team

o Each bid evaluated for technical expertise (years of related work experience

of the company and the personnel being provided), clientele, and cost

o 2 bids rejected

o 4 remaining companies contacted to arrange for a one-hour long

presentation and question/answer session


Evaluation Criteria


Summary of Proposal Evaluation Score Weight (%)

1. Technical Evaluation Criteria 70

2. Commercial/Financial Evaluation Criteria 30

TOTAL SCORE 100

Technical Evaluation Criteria

• Quality of Technical Proposal (40% of score)

• Expertise of Personnel (40% of score)

• Experience of Company (20% of score)

KOA Web Evaluation & Selection Team

• KOA Webmaster

• Rajesh Kachroo

• Anil Kachroo

• Rahul Tikoo

• Madhu Moza

• Ajay Tikoo

• Naveen Dhar


Action Items for Board of Directors

• Pay Membership dues – must lead by example

• Sponsor 1 month of Calendar + 1 sponsor from zone

• Volunteer for 2 sub-committees

• Pick 1 adult and 1 youth to be a KOA volunteer

• Provide 1 individual for each board meeting to provide 2-3 minute feedback

• Communicate with the zonal members on a regular basis (social gathering,

telecon, random phone calls to members and potential members)

• Update contact information of members (for KOA Directory and seeking

membership) – Provide contact information of chapter presidents, local

volunteers, events organizers.

• Prepare for each meeting and read the material provided in advance. If any

questions, contact President offline and/or zonal membership before casting a

vote.

• Familiarize with KOA website koausa.org, and update zonal website with

activities


KOA Board of Directors

46January 18, 2015

KOA Board of Directors (2015)Dr. Anil Mattoo, New YorkDirector, Zone 1

Dr. Anil Mattoo was born in Karan Nagar, Srinagar in Kashmir. His father Mr G.L. Mattoo is a Civil

Engineer and his mother Mrs. Krishna Mattoo (Adalati) worked as a school teacher. Dr. Mattoo is

a product of Tyndale Biscoe School in Srinagar. He graduated from Govt. Medical College

Srinagar in 1989. He also completed post graduation in internal Medicine from G R Medical

College, Gwalior. In 1996 Dr Mattoo moved to the United States and completed a residency in

Internal Medicine from Rush Westlake Hospital in Chicago and subsequently a fellowship in

Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine from Winthrop University Hospital in long Island, New

York. He is currently working as a consultant physician at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital in

Patchogue, NY. Dr Mattoo is married. His wife Nita Kaul is also a physician. He has two beautiful

children Harshil and Himani.

Raj Kaul, MassachusettsDirector, Zone 2

Raj Kaul was born and grew up in New Delhi, India. He was born to Shanta and M. L. Kaul as

their third child. He has two older sisters, Anita and Renu, who also live in the United States.

Raj is an Engineer by training and has an MBA. He has predominantly worked in mechanical

engineering industries and held several positions in varied areas of the business. Raj has worked

in companies in India, the UAE, Germany and the USA.

He is married to Jyotima and they have two beautiful daughters, Zitni and Tara.

Raj loves to play Cricket and follow Football. He is also a good cook and can sing a bit. His

favorite food is Roganjosh and Lobster. He also likes a Malbec, once in a while.


47January 18, 2015

Nirja Sadhu, New JerseyDirector, Zone 3

Nirja Sadhu was born and brought up in Rainawari, Kashmiri She received her master’s degree in

botany from Kashmir University. Like a lot of other KPs, she was forced to migrate from Srinagar after

the Jan 19, 1990 events. She lived in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi until 2000, before moving to Dubai for a

year. New Jersey has been home to Nirja and her family since 2002.

She had been involved in the cause of Kashmiri migrant teachers while living in Delhi, and in recent

years has played an active role in the temple reconstruction projects in Kashmir.

She has a strong desire to bring the members of the US Kashmiri community together for social,

cultural and networking purposes. Nirja is looking forward to working closely with the NJ-PA community

to make KOA more meaningful and responsive to all age groups, especially our youth members.

Dr. Shakun Malik, MarylandDirector, Zone 4

Dr. Shakun Malik is a graduate of Kashmir Medical College and is serving as the head, Thoracic and

Head & Neck Cancer Therapeutics at the Clinical Investigations branch of National Cancer

Institute/NIH. She is married to Rajat P. Malik (a gastroenterologist by profession) and has two children

Raeva and Hersh.

The experience of serving as zone 4 president over the last 2 years has been very enriching to her. She

has come to know a lot of great people who have further enriched her knowledge about her Kashmiri

heritage. She is particularly proud of our youth who have been active in our zone with Sunday school

where they discuss our heritage and teach Kashmiri language to the younger ones.


KOA Board of Directors (2015)

48January 18, 2015

Madhu Moza, TexasDirector, Zone 5

A computer engineer by profession, Madhu Moza has volunteered for several social gatherings

over the years, including Texas Kashmiri camps (Shivratri). She has volunteered as a Houston

chapter president in 1997-1998, and as its treasurer in 1991. She has also been volunteering as

ESL (English Second Language) tutor for Advanced Literacy Houston Organization.

Suresh Sus, Director, Zone 6Suresh Sus was born and raised (Nave Sadek, Nursing Garh) in Srinagar Kashmir. He went to

school at Hindu High School, Sheetalnath, and then on to DAV Higher Secondary School, Hazoori

Bagh. Married to Phoola Ogra, the couple migrated to US in 1976. They have two sons - Neel and

Nikhel (Nik).

Suresh and Phoola are part of a thriving KP community in the Research Triangle Area, (Raleigh,

Durham and Chapel Hill, NC) and have supported and participated in the cultural and social

activities, in this area and within Zone 6. He was recognized for starting the Eastern NC Chapter

of KOA Zone 6 in 2010, and was first elected to KOA Board of Directors, in May of 2013.



49January 18, 2015

Sudesh Saraf, IllinoisDirector, Zone 7

Sudesh Saraf came to the U.S. in 1987 as a graduate engineering student at Illinois Institute of

Technology, Chicago. He got plugged in to the local KOA chapter right away and has been part of

the Chicago chapter of KOA ever since. He currently works in the construction industry as V.P. of

Engineering at an Architectural Engineering firm located in Darien, IL. Sudesh is married to Ruby

(Sunita Pajnu) Saraf since 1989, and they have raised three wonderful kids (triplets) Kartik,

Sneha and Maegha who are 22 years old and have graduated from college. Sudesh has actively

participated in Kashmiri community building at the local level. He also unsuccessfully contested

the Zone 7 directorship in 2005. Currently, he is involved in a local initiative in Chicagoland area

that is focused on teaching the kids in the community about Kashmir History, heritage, language

etc. so they are connected to and proud of their roots. Sudeshji feels honored and privileged to

represent Zone 7 at the national level and is committed to serving our community with zeal and

passion.

Veena Kaul, MichiganDirector, Zone 8

Veena Kaul has lived in Michigan since 1984 and before that she lived in Scranton, PA for 8

years. She migrated to USA along with her husband JB Kaul in 1976. She along with my husband

was involved with KOA from its inception and is still passionate about it. She believes in KOA and

the principles it stands for. Her dream for KOA is to have 100% membership and have successful

programs to uplift our community here and in India. She believes in networking for the benefit of

our community in terms of jobs, guidance for higher education, matrimonial and making sure that

we provide a platform for our youth to meet and make long-term friendship.



50January 18, 2015

Maneesha Munshi, CaliforniaDirector, Zone 9

Maneesha Munshi was born in Sheetalnath, Srinagar and was there until her 3rd grade. Post

exodus, her parents; Ashok, Meena and sister, Aneesha moved to Hyderabad which eventually

became their second Home. She has been in the United States since 2008. Her passion for

Kashmir started from seeing how her parents and grandparents longed to go to this place they

once called Home. She thinks that the youth with their enthusiasm and the elders with their

experience can bring the community together and help every one of us stay connected to the

land of our roots.

Dr. Sanjay Dhar, CaliforniaDirector, Zone 10

Dr. Sanjay Dhar has been in US for last 17 years and lives in Irvine, CA. Prior to settling down in

California, he lived in Bethesda, MD and Boston, MA. He has been involved in community

activities for a long time. He has previously served as the Membership Director of KOAUSA. He

and his wife Jyoti successfully organized a Kashmir Awareness Event in Irvine, CA highlighting

the genocide and mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits.

Dr. Dhar is a scientist by profession with doctorate in molecular biology. His research is currently

focused on the therapeutic applications of stem cell regenerative technology. Besides, he has

been an avid sportsperson as well, and has represented the State of Jammu & Kashmir in Cricket

at various levels (Ranji Trophy, C.K Naidu under-22 and Cooch Behar under-19) and Badminton

(Junior Nationals). He also represented and led the Kashmir University Cricket and Badminton

teams on several occasions.



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