Board of Directors

Board of Directors
2019 Meeting in Philadelphia on Building Friends of Aseema

Christine Biancheria Esquire

President

Christine Biancheria is an attorney based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she was born and raised. Christine has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and completed a dual major in German Studies. She then attended law school there. In the summer of 1993, she was awarded an international human rights fellowship to work in Geneva, Switzerland, on assignment to the International Commission of Jurists. The ICJ is an organization of judges and lawyers from around the world dedicated to advancing the rule of law and which works as a consultative body to the United Nations. It was there that Christine first met Dilbur Parakh, a lawyer who worked as a legal officer for Asia and the Pacific. About two years later, Dilbur returned to her home in Mumbai and co-founded Aseema, where she continues to serve as chairperson.

In 1994, Christine graduated with honors from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Two years later, she published a law review article on the rights of stateless persons in U.S. federal courts in the American University Journal of International Law and Policy. After clerking for the Honorable Justin M. Johnson of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, Christine entered private practice with a law firm that evolved into Biancheria & Maliver, P.C., where she engaged in civil litigation as well as public-interest impact litigation for more than 20 years. She also served as a governor’s appointee to the Uniform Law Commission for a five-year term.

Christine loves traveling to other countries and learning other languages. Currently, she is working on basic Hindi. She is a dog lover and has a collection of more than 1,000 board games from all over the world. Christine also is a firm believer that we can all change the world with our own two hands and is devoted to helping the inspiring team at Aseema in doing exactly that.

M. Tyler Gillett, Ph.D.

Vice President

Tyler holds a bachelor’s degree in English, specialized in creative writing, and obtained a master’s and a Ph.D. in religious studies, focusing on early Christian history and literature. He has taught classes at both the high school and university levels.

After relocating to Pittsburgh in 2018, Tyler embarked in a new direction, attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he obtained his J.D. in 2022. He now works as a staff attorney for the Women’s Law Project, a non-profit public interest legal organization dedicated to protecting and expanding the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ people across Pennsylvania and beyond.

Having traveled extensively in India multiple times, Tyler is familiar with the everyday struggles of life on the ground, as well as with the exceedingly demanding rigors of the Indian educational system. He was deeply impressed by the amazing success Aseema has been able to achieve in this arena and remains in awe of the dedication and skill of the Aseema staff as they continue to raise up their students to ever greater accomplishments. He believes the Aseema model should be shared as widely as possible, both in India and the U.S., and works to spread the word wherever he can.

Christine Bacher

Secretary

Christine Bacher is based in the Philadelphia area and serves as Director of Talent and Operations for Mindful Leadership Consulting, a global executive coaching, coaching supervision, and leadership development consulting firm. She provides similar services through her firm, Dreamlife Coaching. Christine is a lifelong learner and believes that comprehensive, holistic education is the gateway to building economically and socially strong, compassionate, and successful communities. For over 17 years, Christine’s career focused on education, including supplemental and early childhood education for children across the economic spectrum. Christine graduated from Muhlenberg College Summa Cum Laude, studied at Université Paris IV-La Sorbonne and took graduate courses at the Wharton School. Christine loves to read, travel, cook, quilt, do various arts and crafts, and spend time with her family and rescue pets.

Aruna Ravi

Treasurer

Aruna Ravi, originally from Chennai, India, lives in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and has resided in southwestern Pennsylvania for nearly 29 years. In India, Aruna is a Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant. After moving to the U.S., Aruna became a Certified Public Accountant with a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas. She worked for decades in all facets of accounting, both in the U.S. and India, most recently in the banking industry in Pittsburgh. Aruna is a strong believer in giving back to the community and is always on the lookout for worthy and financially trustworthy endeavors to support. She was drawn to Friends of Aseema and the Aseema Charitable Trust because of the Aseema’s focus on the holistic development of children and the belief in the limitless potential of every child. In her spare time, Aruna enjoys reading, travel and cooking.

Patricia Garber, Esquire

Patti Garber is a federal government attorney and single mom who lives in Philadelphia with her two school-age children. Patti grew up in a working-class family in Western Pennsylvania that lived paycheck to paycheck. From an early age, her mother drilled into her children that education was the ticket out of economic hardship. Taking it to heart, Patti and her three siblings earned nine degrees among them, and now Patti is imparting that same message of empowerment to her own children. In her view, Friends of Aseema embodies the truism in its most fundamental form. Patti wishes to honor her mother’s memory by working to advance the organization’s critical work: giving poor children in India the opportunity to lift themselves up though education.

Robin Tom

Robin Tom was born in Kerala, India, and brought up in Delhi, India. He currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife and daughter. Robin works at Mylan, Inc., as a Senior Manager of MDM systems. He completed his undergraduate engineering degree in information technology and received his MBA from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. He was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Society for his academic excellence. He has won a hackathon and been adjudged an emerging leader in previous organizations. He enjoys music and dance. He has a smile on his face no matter what the situation and tries to find the positive in life. In this respect, Robin is a big supporter of Aseema’s focus on the limitless potential of all people and the positivity that Aseema and the children served bring to the world.

Moez Kassam

With nearly two decades of experience as a successful entrepreneur, hedge-fund manager, philanthropist, and board member, Moez brings energy and purpose to everything he does. As a co-founder of Anson Funds, Moez manages an $850 million hedge-fund group that was ranked by Bloomberg Magazine as a top ten global performer while Moez was named a top manager ‘bucking the trend’ by Barron’s Magazine for successful performance over five years. In 2018, Moez was an honored recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 designation, an annual recognition of exceptional achievements by young Canadians from across the country.

Moez dedicates his business acumen and resources to the benefit of numerous charities and worthy causes through The Moez & Marissa Kassam Foundation. He also serves on numerous charitable boards including those of the Toronto Public Library Foundation, the Immigrant Access Fund, and Ryerson’s Innovation Circle. Moez is a member of the Young President’s Organization and has been the executive producer for several works by Moringa Media. Moez has an MBA from London Business School and a bachelor of arts degree from Western University.

Nancy A. Hubley, Esquire

Nancy is a retired civil rights attorney who spent over three decades as the Director of the Pittsburgh office of the Education Law Center. Throughout her career, Nancy represented students to ensure all children in Pennsylvania had access to a quality public education, beginning in early childhood. Nancy’s commitment to education justice—ensuring access, equity, and inclusion—focused on the most underserved students: children of color, students living in poverty, children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, English learners, and children involved in the juvenile justice system, many of whom live and learn at the intersection of multiple identities. Nancy’s work is reflected in reforms to law and policy across Pennsylvania and to positive change in the individual lives of students and families.

Nancy’s passionate commitment to education justice and work with those in communities most impacted by disparate treatment is what gave rise to her interest and engagement with Friends of Aseema. She shares Aseema’s belief in the “limitless potential of every child” and supports its work as a model for public education everywhere that enables children to rise above even the direst circumstances.

Nancy is a graduate of Denison University and the Antioch School of Law. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Susan Frietsche, Esquire

Susan is a senior staff attorney at the Women’s Law Project, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit women’s legal advocacy organization. Susan joined the Law Project staff in 1992, and, after 10 years in its Philadelphia office, she relocated to Pittsburgh in 2002 to open the Law Project’s Western Pennsylvania office. Her work includes litigation and legislative advocacy on women’s health care, particularly reproductive health and pregnancy care; economic and workplace justice for women; sexual and domestic violence; and LGBT equality. Susan’s commitment to Friends of Aseema arises from her life experience, as education proved to be the road to safety and independence for her, as it is for the Aseema children.

Since 2005, Susan has been on the adjunct faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where she has taught courses entitled “Reproduction, Sexuality and the Law,” “Reproductive Law and Policy,” and “Gender and the Law.” Previously, she was an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Susan is the co-author of articles such as “Women on the Court and the Court on Women,” in The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the Life and Law of the Commonwealth, 1684-2017. She is a graduate of Temple Law School and Bryn Mawr College.

Leon Ginn

Leon Ginn is a Mental Health Counselor who has worked for the last 10 years in the psychological field, engaging in counseling, research, and crisis services. A botanist at heart, therapist by trade, and traveler whenever feasible, Leon maintains and promotes a growth mindset encompassing a belief in the universality of kindness and potential.

Leon holds a master’s degree in Professional Counseling degree from Carlow University and has been practicing at the Center for Relational Change since 2018. He has experience in crisis management and served as a domestic violence crisis operator for two years. Leon has conducted research with the Affect Analysis Group at the University of Pittsburgh for eight years, training staff in micro-expression detection, monitoring research collection, and supervising lab trainings and day-to-day workings. He has served as the Business Chair for the University of Pittsburgh’s chapter of the International Honors Society in Psychology and as a group leader in the Woodenfish Humanistic Buddhist program. Leon occasionally engages in professional balloon animal artistry (when needed).

Casey Johnson

Casey is an attorney and member at Bousquet Holstein, a law firm in Syracuse, New York. He started there in 2014 and divides his time providing legal counsel in dual citizenship matters, the Brownfield Tax Credit Program, and Title IX matters. He also works with the firm’s Bankruptcy Practice Group and chairs the Diversity, Antiracism, and Belonging Committee.

Previously, Casey was a Staff Attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. He has also served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Andrew T. Baxter, U.S. Magistrate Judge, and as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Margaret Cangilos-Ruiz, U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Casey is a graduate of Cornell University Law School and earned his Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Interfaith Works and is Immediate Past Chair of the Syracuse Opera Board of Directors. Casey is also a past President and Board Member of the Central New York Bankruptcy Bar Association.

Monica Rodrigues, Esquire

Monica Rodrigues is a Brazilian attorney who has developed her career as in-house counsel in financial institutions and in the manufacturing industry. She loves to practice law but is a great enthusiast of diversity initiatives and ways to contribute to society, having had pro bono roles in the Catholic Church, in a Civil Court in Brazil and more recently in the Swedish-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.

Monica is a true believer that study is an essential tool to take anyone to better life conditions. Monica believes her career success is rooted in growing up in a middle-class family in a developing country, and this is one of the reasons why she had an immediate connection with Aseema and Friends of Aseema. Monica is a traveler for business and for leisure (when possible), workaholic, and dogmother to Chloe, and she is engaged to Bryant. She holds an MBA from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh and speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Manasa Ravi

Manasa Ravi is currently working in environmental policy for a climate tech company. Manasa became a believer in Aseema’s mission and methods after learning about the schools from Christine Biancheria in 2019. She has assisted with Friends of Aseema’s fundraising efforts in the past, including staffing the organization’s booth at local Night Markets and playtesting the fundraising offering of a board game. Manasa believes strongly in the power of education but also the power of addressing the root causes that prevent children in poverty from receiving an education. Aseema Chairperson Dilbur Parakh described her mission with Aseema as “instead of a mile wide and an inch deep, go an inch wide and a mile deep,” and this is the ethos that inspires Manasa every day.

Mukul Pandya

Mukul is an Associate Fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and a consulting editor of Oxford Business Review. He is the founding former editor-in-chief and executive director of Knowledge@Wharton (K@W), the web-based journal of research and business analysis published by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He edited and managed K@W for more than 22 years until his retirement in 2020. In 2020-21, Mukul was a Senior Fellow at the research centres Wharton AI for Business and Wharton Customer Analytics. Mukul has won four awards for investigative journalism and has more than 40 years of experience as a writer and editor. His articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Time magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications. He co-authored Lasting Leadership, Knowledge@Wharton on building corporate value and has written, co-authored or edited three other books. In 2020 he edited an award-winning book, Transformation in Times of Crisis, by Nitin Rakesh and Jerry Wind. Mukul has a master’s degree in economics from the University of Bombay.

Monish Gangwani

Monish Gangwani is a marketing leader at Microsoft and a mindfulness meditation teacher. He enjoys writing, yoga, and vegan food. He grew up in Mumbai where he first started volunteering with Aseema, teaching Microsoft Paint and Microsoft Word to the kids back in 2000. He is excited to continue to support Aseema. He can be found on LinkedIn.

Advisory Board

Reshma Paranjpe, M.D.

Reshma Paranjpe is an ophthalmologist and cornea specialist in private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She holds a bachelor of science degree and a medical degree from Brown University and an MBA from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. Her family origin is from Mumbai, and she speaks Marathi fluently. Reshma is interested in making the world a kinder place.

Colleen Briner, M.B.A. and Social Impact Professional

Colleen is a senior advisor with over two decades in leadership roles for nonprofits, startups, and small businesses aiming to make a social impact. Colleen has experience in redefining operations and enhancing revenue streams with human-centered solutions. She has experience in grassroots fundraising, charity walks, giving events, and strategic philanthropy. Colleen served as director of strategic partnerships for Treehouse Innovation, leading business development and creating tailored solutions for their business needs. She has worked at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as the Western Pennsylvania area director. Colleen spent 18 years at the University of Pittsburgh, most recently as executive director of the Institute for Learning. There, she helped secure and manage tens of millions of dollars of philanthropic support to develop classroom tools, curricular materials, teacher training, and senior leadership coaching, with an impact on more than 3.5 million students in 23 states.

Brittany Green

Brittany is the Director of Development of the Women’s Law Project, based in Pittsburgh. They coordinate fundraising efforts including developing strategy, building relationships with supporters, event planning, and grant writing.

Brittany joined WLP in 2017 after leaving a position with Artsmarketing Services where she led telephone fundraising efforts for non-profits across the country. She also worked as a field organizer on the 2012 presidential election in Ohio.

Brittany has a B.A. from Heidelberg University, where they double majored in communication and music.

TaMara Howard

As an experienced business banking relationship manager, TaMara is the Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of ACTION-Housing, Inc., a Pennsylvania nonprofit that offers programs centered on the provision of decent, safe, and affordable housing. She oversees financial reporting, budgeting, accounting, asset management, information technology, and helps guide the overall strategic financial direction of the company. She passionately serves on numerous boards and committees that support economic empowerment, education, and development activities that prepare youth to succeed in the 21st century. TaMara earned her bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, and an MBA from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of The Links, Inc. where she co-chairs the International Trends and Services Committee. The Links is a longstanding volunteer service organization of professional women of color committed to enriching and sustaining the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.