Preeti Khanal has a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University, specializing in social and behavioral sciences for advancing and improving women and children’s health. She seeks to leverage her educational and professional experiences to support the Nepal team in bridging healthcare education and access gaps among women through leadership and management. Preeti has worked as researcher at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine upon completion of her BS in Neuroscience and Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Dickinson College. She currently works as a Program Associate at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), managing and evaluating projects on various clinical trials in the field of women’s health, cancer, and rare diseases. 

She first joined Rukmini Foundation in 2019 and brings in her public health background to support the organization in various capacities. As a native from Nepal, she feels a deep connection with the Foundation and works with the Nepal team directly in supporting programs and management. She currently serves as a Board Secretary to support the smooth running of the foundational internal operations.

Linda has a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on Nonprofit Management and Program Evaluation. She has a wealth of experience in proposal development, research, strategic planning, grants management, and full-cycle program management.

Linda is passionate about community development, education, global health, combating gender discrimination, and eliminating human rights violations. She has seen the positive impact that grassroots development can have in a community, and plans to utilize her skills and experience to make an impact in the communities that Rukmini Foundation serves.

Linda manages Rukmini’s Fundraising and Development program and provides technical expertise on pre-and-post award data management processes.

Thayjas Patil is an MD candidate at Drexel University College of Medicine. Thayjas first became involved with the Rukmini foundation during his undergraduate years at the University of Pittsburgh. There he helped establish the first collegiate branch of the Rukmini foundation. He has spent much of his educational career understanding social and public health inequities, and it has taken him around the world, from understanding healthcare access of refugees in Berlin to working with Rukmini to assess educational and nutritional access of villagers in Nepal. With his background in public health work and his current medical education, Thayjas serves as the Chair of Health & Wellness to help facilitate, improve, and expand the Aayush health and wellness programs.

Sabina Bisunke is a graduate of Shikharapur Campus and is currently a student at PadmaKanya Campus pursuing a MA in Rural Development. Being a local from Dakshinkali, an area very close to Pharping, she has great understanding of our work in Pharping. She joined Rukmini Foundation as our new Head Mentor (Didi) and is working closely with all Rukmini scholars.

Sabina supports the operations of the foundation by helping out with the day to day activities of the Rukmini Foundation and will assist our Program Officers to ensure that the foundation programs are running smoothly and that all scholars are receiving the necessary support to be successful. Sabina also works closely with Foundation Didis and other mentors to provide interesting mentoring programs for the scholars and school students. Sabina is enthusiastic, positive and very active in the community. As a local girl, Sabina is proud to be a role model for other girls and is looking forward to learning as well as mentoring.

I am Sanjita Balami, a 21-year-old enthusiastic about creativity and communication. I live in Pharping, Kathmandu, in Dakshinkali Municipality, Ward No. 9, with my family of four. My father is a dedicated teacher who inspires me with his commitment to education, and my mother, who works in agriculture and manages our household, has also created opportunities for many people by providing jobs in the community. I am pursuing my bachelor’s degree in business studies and am always excited to explore new opportunities to learn and grow. I feel that I have a natural capacity for leadership and enjoy taking the initiative to bring ideas to life. I am passionate about anchoring, videography, and creating content that tells meaningful stories. Growing up in a Nepali-speaking community, I have developed effective communication skills in Nepali. I am confident in my ability to communicate clearly and help others understand the language easily. I am also the Chairperson of the Dakshinkali Municipality Ward No. 9 Adolescent Group, where I lead and guide others. Additionally, I am a mentor for Setidevi GLOW Club, working to inspire and support members. At the foundation, I look forward to contributing to my creativity, leadership, and communication skills. I am eager to take on challenges, collaborate with inspiring individuals, and help create programs that make a meaningful impact on the community.

Hello! I'm Yojana, and I am absolutely thrilled to be back home at the Rukmini Foundation—this time as a colleague. My journey with this incredible community began as a scholar from Dakshinkali Municipality, where I was supported through Grade 9 and my +2 in Mass Communication.

As the eldest daughter in my family, I've always carried a deep sense of responsibility. This is why I dream of becoming a teacher—not just for my own passion, but so I can support my parents and help my younger siblings with their education. I love being around younger students, talking with them, and helping them discover new things.

Outside of work, I'm a creative soul at heart. I love hosting programs, singing, dancing, and I even play the drum set at my church. I also enjoy doing nail art and makeup, skills I picked up while working at an ornament shop.

I am grateful to be able to give back to the foundation that has given me so much. As a Didi Mentor my motto is simple: I don't focus on the level of the task, I just give it my 100%. I can't wait to bring my energy and spirit to the team, and I'm so happy to be home!

Nabin led the foundation’s work in Nepal from the inception till April 2015. He is now serving as a special adviser from his new home in Nairobi, Kenya where he will be working with the US and Nepal Teams to provide

strategic guidance for the foundation. Dr. Nabin Aryal received a PhD in Economics from Hitotsubashi University and has been managing NGO programs in underdeveloped areas in India and Sri Lanka and has extensive experience in grassroots development efforts.

With a Masters from London School of Economics in NGOs and Development, along with courses in Social Policy and Gender and Development, Priti brings with her the experience of both policy and development. She was born in Nepal, brought up in Japan, and has lived in England for eight years. Before moving to the United States, she went back to Nepal and worked on issues concerning Education for All and Gender Equality. Her work entailed creating awareness amongst the communities in rural Nepal on issues concerning both health and education, whilst striving for change in the country’s education policy. She recently moved to the Untied States and has become part of the Rukmini Foundation. With her previous experience working in Nepal, she has a great understanding of Rukmini Foundation’s mission and vision and will chair the Nepal Team Committee to work closely with our team on the ground to ensure progress, productivity and help forge new relationship with other entities in Nepal.

An assistant professor of Management Information Systems at California State University Los Angeles (CSULA), Arun teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on Information Systems and Analytics. Prior to CSULA, he worked as a Teaching Fellow for Georgia State University (GSU) where he was part of the team that designed GSU’s enterprise systems concentrations within the computer information systems major. He is the recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award (2014 & 2015) and his research focuses on the intersection of emerging technologies, analytics, and enterprise systems. He earned a Ph.D. in Computer Information Systems from Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University and has worked in the IT industry for about seven years prior to entering the academic world.

For the foundation, Arun provides guidance on how to make the best use of technology to solve problems in developing countries, and also lends his teaching philosophies and ideals as we look to innovate around education for students in rural areas of Nepal.