Ms. Madhu Sarin is the President of Vasundhara’s Executive Committee (EC).  Since the early 1980s, she has worked on rural development planning, participatory and sustainable forest management, and gender justice and women’s empowerment, combining grassroots work with advocacy for policy changes at the state and national levels.  Madhu has written extensively on these issues, with papers published in international and national books and journals.  She is a member of the drafting committee and Technical Support Group appointed by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, for the Tribal and Forest Dwellers (Forest Rights) Bill.  She is also actively associated with the National Campaign for Survival and Dignity.  In addition to being on the governing board of several NGOs in India, such as Vikram Sarabai Centre for Development Interaction (VIKSAT), Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), and Sutra, she also serves on the boards of Regional Community Forestry Training Center (Bangkok) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), UK.  She has an extensive understanding of issues relating to forests, tribal land rights, and forest governance in Orissa; and provides extensive advisory inputs to Vasundhara’s interventions.

Address:
Ms. MadhuSarin
48, Sector 4, Chandigarh
Phone:  09814004449, +911722741420
Email: msarin@satyam.net.in, madhu.sarin1@gmail.com

Ms. Neera Singh is a founding member of Vasundhara and is currently functioning as Vice President of the EC.  She has been engaged for several years with community forestry issues in Orissa.  Her experience includes research on self-initiated community forestry initiatives, gender and equity issues, and policy advocacy and networking around forest-based livelihood issues.  She is pursuing a Ph.D. degree at Michigan State University, USA, and is currently at an advanced stage of her dissertation research on community forestry federations in Orissa.

Address:
Ms. Neera M. Singh
Founder Member
Flat No. 2/26, VIP Enclaves
Gangotri Apartment, Chandrasekharpur
Bhubaneswar
Email: neera.singh@gmail.com, singhne1@msu.edu
Phone: +16454487111, +917873299807

Y. Giri Rao joined Vasundhara in 1995 and currently is working as the Secretary cum Executive Director of Vasundhara.  He was initially involved in research on institutional issues, and was actively associated with Orissa Jungle Manch, a state-level federation formed for advocating forestry issues in Orissa. More recently he focuses on policy research and advocacy on conservation and livelihood issues, alliance building and media advocacy.

Address:
Mr. Y.GiriRao
GA-84, Niladrivihar
(Near Army Housing Welfare Organization)
Po-SailashreeVihar
Bhubaneswar
Phone: 9437110915
Email:-ygiri.rao1@gmail.com, ygirirao@vasundharaorissa.org

Ms. Hans is a renowned social activist and academic who works on gender issues.  She currently heads Sansristi, a leading organization working on gender and development issues.  She was founder and director of Centre for Women Studies at Utkal University, and has been associated with numerous other developmental processes.

Address:
Prof. Asha Hans
Santa Nivas, 82 Satya Nagar,
Bhubaneswar
Phone:  9437004647, 0674-2300272
Email: asha1@sancharnet.in, sansristi@rediffmail.com.

Prof. Mishra  has done his Masters from Delhi School of Economics and  PhD from Stern School, New York Univ. USA. Prof. Banikanta Mishra joined Sunadaram (Mutual) Asset Management Company, Chennai, as a Director. He had also been appointed to be a member of an Expert Committee constituted by the General Body of Orissa State Cooperative Bank besides being a member of an Expert Committee of the Bhubaneswar Stock Exchange. Currently Prof Mishra is a faculty in XIMB, Bhubaneswar and is also associated with numerous developmental processes in Orissa.

Address:
Prof. Banikanta Mishra
XIMB, Chandrasekharpur,
Bhubaneswar
Phone:  9437075075
Email: banikanta@hotmail.com

Dr. NilakanthaPanigrahi  has done his Master Degree and  M.Phil (Anthrolopology)  from Sambalpur University and  PhD from Sambalpur University in 1995.His area of specialization is Tribal Studies, Natural Resource Management and Tribal Livelihood. He has been a Member in the ‘State Committee for Supporting Voluntary Efforts’, by Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Department, Government of Orissa, to decide the funding support to different NGOs for welfare of weaker sections of the State. He served as a visiting fellow in ISEC, Bangalore.He is a Member in Board of Studies in PG Dept of Tribal Studies, North Orissa University,Baripada. He has rendered valuable contribution to academics and consultant to international Water Management Institute (IWMI)and  SirRatan Tata Trust. He has written extensively on Tribal Movements, Ethnicity and Natural resource governance etc.

Address:
NabakrushnaChoudhury Centre for Development Studies,
Orissa, Bhubaneswar­ 751013 (India).
Phone: (Office) +91674­2301094, 2300471 
Email:nilakantha62@yahoo.co.in, nilakantha.panigrahi@gmail.com

Profile of Tushar Dash

Prasad joined Vasundhara in 2007 and gained 10 years of research experience in the field of biodiversity conservation.  His academic credentials include M.Sc in Botany and PhD in Aquatic Ecology from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. Prasad has also published 20 research papers, 5 research reports in peer-reviewed research journals/books on aquatic ecology, mangrove biology, ethnobotany and cryptogams of Eastern India. He is one of the leading writers in the National Daily News Papers like The Telegraph, The Hindu etc., on issues related to Biodiversity and Community conservation and Management in Odisha. He has worked in P.G. Department of Botany, Utkal University and Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (Then-Regional Research Laboratory), Bhubaneswar as research scholars. His expertise includes mapping and characterization of biodiversity at landscape level including monitoring and management of bioresources through remote sensing, ecosystem ecology and valuation of ecosystem services, sustainable harvesting of NTFP, mapping of community conservation initiatives from species to ecosystems and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

Address:
Dr. Prasad Kumar Dash
At-Bhingarpur, Po- Bhatpatana
Dist-Khurda
Phone: 9437444241
Email: prasad@vasundharaorissa.org, prasad.dash2008@gmail.com