Rev. Prof. Dr. Vishwanath D. Karad - an eminent educationist having teaching experience of 40 years in College of Engineering as an Undergraduate and Postgraduate teacher, thinker a devoted teacher and a dedicated social worker, is a man of great vision, who is totally committed to the development of technical education and the cause of raising the qualities of life of the Indian masses for the betterment of tomorrow. He was awarded the Degree of Doctorate in Philosophy and Education by the International University of Washington.

He is the founder of various initiatives such as “Maharashtra Institute of Technology, WORLD PEACE CENTER of MAEER's MIT, Pune, UNESCO CHAIR for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace, MIT World Peace University Shree Kshetra Alandi Parisar Vikas Samiti, Saint Shree Dnyaneshwara and Saint Shree Tukaram Endowment Lecture Series Trust. Apart from recognition for his works in education.

He has been honored by the various awards such as National award for the year 1992 for the most outstanding work in Engineering and Technical Education for his commendable rural development work in the field of Environmental and Pollution Control at Shree Kshetra Alandi-Dehu, “Madhav - Mandakini Award” for his commendable work in the field of Rural Development - Environmental and Pollution Control at Shree Kshetra Alandi - Dehu in Pune district for changing the outlook of these holy places. He has been member of various organizations of national international repute.

Shekhar Mehta, of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India, is the President of Rotary International for 2021-22. Mehta acknowledges that current membership trends are a challenge and says that membership development should be Rotary’s highest priority. He believes that focusing on regional plans, successfully transitioning Rotaractors into Rotary clubs, and increasing diversity and female members could yield a 5 percent net growth in membership each year.

“A major brainstorming is needed to find effective solutions suited to different areas of the world,” says Mehta. He adds that regional ethos and culture have to be taken into account to find localized solutions, as “one size does not fit all.” He believes Rotary can extend to new geographical areas and countries.
As a strong proponent of Rotary’s strategic plan, Mehta says he will encourage clubs to use action plans and reinforce the core values of Rotary.

Mehta says Rotary needs to become more contemporary and adaptable by focusing on partnerships with governments and corporations, expanding partnerships with organizations that specialize in Rotary’s areas of focus, and investing in technology.

Mehta, an accountant, is chair of the Skyline Group, a real estate development company he founded. He is also a director of Operation Eyesight Universal (India), a Canada-based organization.

Mehta has been actively involved in disaster response and is a trustee of ShelterBox, UK. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, he helped build nearly 500 homes for families affected by the disaster.

Mehta pioneered a program that has performed more than 1,500 life-changing heart surgeries in South Asia. He is also the architect of the TEACH Program, which promotes literacy throughout India and has reached thousands of schools.

A Rotary member since 1984, Mehta has served Rotary as director, member or chair of several committees, zone coordinator, training leader, member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers, and district governor. He is also the chair of Rotary Foundation (India).

Mehta has received Rotary’s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Awards.

A certified public accountant, Larry is SVP/CFO of Bernstein-Rein Advertising, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri. Larry and his wife Jill have two children, Trent and Cara. He enjoys blue and yellow M&Ms, all sports, travel, and collecting sports memorabilia, and waits patiently for the day when the Kansas City Chiefs will win the Super Bowl. Larry’s passion for Rotary and his invitation into the family of Rotary began during his college years when in 1982 he was selected as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar to Australia. Larry joined Rotary in 1991, served as President of the Rotary Club of Kansas City-Plaza, Missouri in 1997-98, served as District Governor of Missouri D6040 in 2001-02, and served as Rotary International Director in 2013-15. He continues to serve in numerous roles, and as a speaker, at the district, zone, and international levels in Rotary. In 2017, he chaired his district’s TRF Centennial Legacy Committee (Million Dollar Dinner Committee) Larry and his wife Jill have been appointed to serve as Aides to RI President Mark Daniel Maloney, and his wife Gay, for the 2019-2020 Rotary year. Larry will also serve for the next three years on the Rotary Peace Centers Committee of the Rotary Foundation. As District Governor, Larry helped lead the “Missouri Rotarians for New York” statewide service project that raised over $100,000 in 2001 for those affected by the events of 9/11. For the past 18 years, Larry has served as the Shoes Cheerleader for his District resulting in efforts which have collected nearly 340,000 pairs of new shoes through the Shoes for Orphan Souls project. The Shoes project has taken him to Russia, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic to deliver new shoes to orphan children in those countries. Larry is a Major Donor, a Benefactor, a Charter Member of the Bequest Society and the D6040 Paul Harris Society, and has been awarded the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service and the RI Service Above Self Award. He earned his bachelors and masters degrees in accounting from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and has served his alma mater on its National Alumni Association Board and its Foundation Board. He has served his church as Finance Chair and Capital Campaign Co-Chair and enjoyed time in youth baseball and basketball coaching activities.

Major Achievements and Awards:
• Dr. Vijay Bhatkar is one of the most acclaimed scientist and IT leader of India. He is best known as the architect of India's first supercomputer and as the founder Executive Director of C-DAC, India's national initiative in supercomputing. He is credited with the creation of several national institutions, notably amongst them being C-DAC, ER&DC, IIITM-K, I2IT, ETH Research Lab, MKCL and India International Multiversity.
• He has been a Member of Scientific Advisory Committee to Cabinet of Govt. of India, Governing Council Member of CSIR, India and eGovernance Committee, Chairman of Governments of Maharashtra and Goa.
• A Fellow of IEEE, ACM, CSI, INAE and leading scientific, engineering and professional societies of India, he has been honored with Padmashri, Padma Bhushan and Maharashtra Bhushan awards. Other recognitions include Saint Dnyaneshwar World Peace Prize, Lokmanya Tilak Award, HK Firodia and Dataquest Lifetime Achievement Awards, and many others. He was a nominee for Petersburg Prize and is a Distinguished Alumni of IIT, Delhi.
• Dr. Bhatkar has authored and edited 12 books and 80 research & technical papers. His current research interests include Exascale Supercomputing, AI, Brain-Mind-Consciousness, and Synthesis of Science & Spirituality.
• He is presently appointed as the Chancellor of Nalanda University, Chancellor of India International Multiversity, Chief Mentor of I2IT.
• He has been the Chairman of ETH Research Lab, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Delhi and National President of Vijnan Bharati.

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, is widely recognized in India – and around the world – for dedicating his life to build a nationwide sanitation movement spanning over five decades. His contribution has made a critical difference in the lives of millions of severely disadvantaged poor who couldn’t afford toilets, and those who worked as manual scavengers and hence faced severe discrimination in the society owing to their low caste.
Dr. Pathak was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi; subsequently, his work and ethos have intrinsically contributed to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. In the last 50 years, he has worked tirelessly for the human rights of the manual scavengers who clean dry latrines, come from the lowest stratum of India’s caste-based system and are mostly women. His actions aimed at rehabilitating manual scavengers, restoring their dignity by providing alternative employment through skill development presents an inspiring example of promoting peace, tolerance and empowerment by non-violent means.

Gandhian thinker, peace-activist, educator and author of over 75 books in English, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil on Gandhi, Peace, Education and Harmony, Professor Neelakanta Radhakrishnan is presently Chairman of Gandhi Peace Mission, Professor Emeritus and visiting Faculty to several of the world’s prestigious Universities as Peace Emeritus. As an influential academician and peace worker he has also the reputation of being one of the world’s topmost trainers in non-violence and runs regular training programs in Non-violent Conflict-Management, organizes seminars, workshops on Gandhi-philosophy and Culture of Peace. He is also leading a 250 projected Global Gandhi Assessments/Culture of Peace Lecture Series, out of which 246 have been completed.

Professor, Poet, Editor, Fiction Writer, Translator, Linguist, Diplomat, Organizer par excellence, Hindi's Ambassador - at large, PUSHPITA AWASTHI defies categorization.
She studied at the renowned Kashi Hindu University, Varanasi, India, and later 20 years headed the Department of Hindi at Kashi Hindu University till 2001. In 2001 Pushpita moved Suriname (South America) as First Secretary and Professor of Hindi at the Indian Cultural Centre of the Indian Embassy at Paramaribo. Her love for Hindi drove her to bring together a Hindi community of sorts in Suriname. She organized the seventh World Hindi Conference in 2003 at Paramaribo.
In Pushpita's poems the everyday, contemporary experience echoes the mystic poetry of Kabir and the love poetry of sanskrit poet Jaidev.Nature and love, the twin themes of her poetic expression, often seem to be extensions of each other.
Since 2005 Pushpita lives and works in the Netherlands. She is founder-director of Hindi Universe Foundation.

Smt. Roshan Shamim Dalvi, B.Com., LL.M. Was born on
November 6, 1953. She was enrolled as an Advocate on August 25, 1976
And practised in the Bombay High Court for about 13 years in Civil and
Company matters. Specialising in Civil – trial matters, Justice Rashmi Dalvi served as Judge, Bombay City Civil and Sessions Court, Mumbai from September 7,1989. She was promoted as Principal Judge in Family Courts, Mumbai and
served in the role from July 19, 2004 to January 1, 2005. She was appointed
as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on June 6, 2005 and
appointed as a permanent Judge on June 12, 2007.

Father Varghese Alengaden is the Founder of the Universal Solidarity Movement of Value Education for Peace (USM).
The Universal Solidarity Movement is an NGO centered on developing enlightened leadership, responsible citizenship, and promoting harmony among religions and ethnic groups. Alengaden was the Youth Director of Madhya Pradesh Regional Bishops’ Conference. It was his work with youth that led him to build the USM and promote a culture of interreligious harmony and cooperation in India and abroad.
Varghese Alengaden is the Founder and National Co-ordinator of Universal Solidarity Movement of Value Education for Peace. He is also the Founder President of the National Peace Movement and has authored 30 books.

Inspired by Buddha Teaching, Overcome the furious by friendship.
Overcome the evil one by goodness, Overcome the miser by generosity.
Overcome the liar by truth
Guru U Pandita Ananda, known as Guru Ananda.
His family name is AKS Rtn. Lam Lee Heng.
Born at Malacca, Malaysia on 13/3/1958 in a Chinese family.
He graduated from Let's Learn Electronic Institute Malacca and North Malaysia Electrical
and Electronic College.
A brilliant student in school days and by the age of 21 he became a very successful
businessman in Malaysia.
At the age of 25, he accidentally fell from 300 meters high waterfall in Malaysia during a
vacation and went to coma for 3 nights and went to vegetative state for 3 months.
After recovering and healing he surrendered his life to Buddha and his teaching.
His journey started in Thailand then Myanmar and finally came to Nepal.
He spent his 7 years in Nepal for Deeper Yoga and Buddhism Training, especially in the
Himalayan region of Upper Mustang in Nepal.
After enlightenment in the Himalayas, he has dedicated his life for the teaching of Buddhism
and spreading Buddhism all over the world.
Since the last 30 years, he is teaching Hatha Yoga, Aunapanasati Yoga, Vipassana,
Kundalini and various kind of Traditional yoga and meditation & different Ancient meditation
techniques of Buddha Darshan, also promoting peace through his various social work in the
field of education and health.
He believes in the Transformation of Happy and Healthy life only through Buddha’s Teaching
and Yoga and Meditation.
He started the Great Wisdom Meditation Association in Malaysia and various parts of the
world and has built Monastery and Meditation Center in Marfa, Mustang, where meditators
come for meditation from all over the World.

He believes Love only grows by sharing, you can only have more for yourself by giving it
away to others

Dr. B. N. Gangadhar assumed the charge as the Director of National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) on 12 January 2016.
Dr. Gangadhar, who is also a Senior Professor of Psychiatry, brings over 30 years of extensive experience in the field of mental health, from both clinical and academic perspectives. He obtained his MBBS degree from the Bangalore Medical College in 1978. He joined NIMHANS as a faculty in 1982 after completing MD Psychiatry from the same Institute in 1981. He was conferred the prestigious Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (FAMS) degree in 2006 and D.Sc. (Doctor of Science) from SVYASA Yoga University, Bengaluru for his research work on Yoga and Mental Health in 2012.
Concurrent with his faculty post, he has served the Institute in various capacities such as Medical Superintendent; Head, Department of Psychiatry; Dean (Behavioural Sciences) and Program Director/Head, Advanced Centre for Yoga.
Other key posts held by Dr. Gangadhar include Honorary Dean, Life Sciences at SVYASA Yoga University, Bengaluru (from 2013); Adjunct Faculty on Consciousness at National Institute of Advanced Studies (from 2014); President, Indian Psychiatric Society Karnataka Chapter (2012-13); Visiting Fellow (IBRO), Vienna, Austria (1987-88); Consultant to WHO for inspection of Tsunami relief projects (2008). He is also part of the expert committees of DST and the National AYUSH Committee for Integrative Medicine.
With his primary research interests spanning Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), Schizophrenia, Community Psychiatry, Public Health and Yoga, he has successfully guided about 50 MD students and PhD scholars. He has more than 300 research publications in various national and international indexed journals (H-Index-34, RG Score 44.27) to his credit. He is the co-editor of the Asian Journal of Psychiatry (from 2009) and active member of editorial boards of national and international journals. He has also served as the Associate Editor of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (2002-2013).
Dr. Gangadhar is the recipient of the coveted Sir CV Raman Award and Doctors Day Award from the Government of Karnataka. He has also shared over 25 awards with other primary recipients.
Known for his `hands on’ approach to governance and his student friendly attitude, Dr. Gangadhar believes in team work and quick results.
Associated with RSS, he has held the role of Sanghachalak of Bengaluru Mahanagar in the past
Qualifications: MBBS in 1978 (Bangalore Medical College), MD Psychiatry in 1981 (NIMHANS), DSc (Doctor of Science) from SVYASA University for research work of Yoga and Mental Health 2012, FAMS, Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (2006)
Service in NIMHANS: 1978-81, Trainee; 1982-date, Faculty from 1982, now Director, NIMHANS.
Awards: Recipient of Sir CV Raman Award from Karnataka Government and Padma Shri award
Scientific Publications: National & International- 400 indexed; H-Index-42, RG Score 45.
Teaching: Guide/co-guide to nearly 50 MD and PhD trainees for research
Research Areas: Yoga, Schizophrenia, Public Health, Electroconvulsive therapy

Professor Ganguli is currently Deputy Director of IIT Delhi and Institute Chair Professor in the Chemistry Department. He is also the founding Director of Institute of Nano Science and Technology in Mohali. Prof Ganguli studied Chemistry from University of Delhi and obtained his PhD from Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (1990). He was visiting scientist in USA and Switzerland. His main research interest is in the area of nanomaterials and high temperature superconductivity. He has more than 300 publications and has filed five patents (two granted). He is a recipient of several awards the and is a fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Sciences, India. Dr. Ganguli is also very passionate with teaching in schools and colleges especially creating excitement in underprivileged children in remote parts of India.

Mandar is a former Shell Game Changer who used to manage Shell's impact investment portfolio on social innovations that create shared value - both social impact and business value. After working at Shell for 17 years, Mandar is a Visiting Scholar at George Mason and manages the Business for Peace Innovation Lab that provides innovation consulting to international brands to find novel ways to make peace profitable.
He also manages a nonprofit peace consultancy 'Cities4Peace' that actively promotes peace in cities across the world. Their flagship work in 2019 was in Los Angeles - working closely with the LAPD and the LA Mayors Office for Gang Reduction in Los Angeles. A short video of his work in LA is here.

For nearly two decades, Mandar has taught leadership programs using meditation practices for the Art of Living Foundation.

Scott was appointed President of Interpeace in June 2018. Previously, he held the position of Director-General, starting in that role in 2005 after being chosen by the then-Chairman (2000-2009) of the Interpeace Governing Council, 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari. As President of Interpeace, he provides strategic direction to the organization.

In recognition of his record of professional accomplishments, his commitment to society and his potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through his leadership, Scott was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2009. Each year the Forum recognizes “the 200 most distinguished young leaders below the age of 40 from around the world.”

Scott believes strongly in education as a means to shape young generations of global citizens and a more peaceful and inclusive world. In his spare time, he works with schools and universities to integrate Peace Education into their teaching practices and curricula.

Scott is a member of the International Gender Champions, an initiative launched by the Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN in Geneva, the Director-General of the UN in Geneva and Women@TheTable.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, Economics and Russian from Georgetown University and Certificates of Executive Education in Leadership from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.

Scott is French and American. He lives in France with his wife and two children.

Andrew Russell is a specialist in peacebuilding and organizational change, with close to three decades of experience in the United Nations. He brings in-depth knowledge of UN programme and operations both at Headquarters and in the field. Mr. Russell has worked in Central America, Cyprus and, most recently, in Kosovo, where he served as UN Development Coordinator and UN Development Programme Resident Representative.
He designed and oversaw implementation of programmes dealing with the promotion of social dialogue, civic engagement and civil society participation in national development processes, as well as territorial-based approaches to integrated local development. He holds specialized expertise in crisis prevention and recovery and his field experiences have primarily been within the context of managing programmes in support of the transition from conflict to peace and development and the promotion of multi-stakeholder dialogue in ethnically or politically divided contexts.
He has also served in corporate managerial positions, including as the coordinator of internal management consulting services within the UN Development Programme. Mr. Russell holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and he has taught development and peace building studies at the undergraduate and graduate level as an adjunct lecturer at Haverford College and Columbia University. He was, until April 2019, the Senior Advisor to the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, where his work focused on change management within the context of UN reform.

Marios believes that education is the most effective tool in promoting economic development in today’s interconnected global market. He is a scholar and an activist who believes that access to good education contributes to the reduction of poverty, the increase of opportunity for a better quality of life and the strengthening of a civil society that creates democratic and peaceful societies. Most importantly, he adores the beauty of cultural diversity and teaches about the necessity of openness to cultural understanding and the promotion of inter-culturalism. He has previously worked as the Director of Grants and Educational Programs at Teachers2Teachers-International and taught at UNC’s Curriculum in Global Studies.
Marios is currently a research associate at the Open University of Cyprus. He earned his Ph.D. in Education from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Studying in the School of Education’s Culture, Curriculum and Change program, his research focused on Peace Education and more specifically on how unified education systems in conflict and post-conflict countries can foster and promote social peace among their young citizens. As a recipient of the Rotary Peace Fellowship at UNC, Marios earned a Masters in School Administration and Educational Leadership and a Certificate in International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center. Finally, he holds a BA in Science of Education from the University of Cyprus in his native country. Beyond his academic work, his passion in Peace Education is reflected through his work with several NGOs in Cyprus where he volunteered and worked towards building peace on the island.

Julia Roig, President, Partners Global. Ms. Roig represents the next generation of leadership in the international development field as the CEO of one of the most preeminent global organizations dedicated to innovative governance solutions for development. Partners Global (Partners) believes that good governance and change management are the underpinning of all development challenges and has a successful track record of building civil society and broad partnerships to effect democratic change. Partners is a leader in the field of Sustainable Impact Investment and has successfully invested in local Centers for Change Management throughout the world with a focus on social entrepreneurship for civic engagement. Together with these affiliate Centers, Partners supports local leaders to collaboratively address a myriad of issues such as citizen security, natural resource management, education reform, health care and anti-corruption. As President, Julia Roig has solidified private sector partnerships to reach development goals, a long-standing global relationship with General Electric in over 10 countries. In addition, Ms. Roig has spearheaded linkages with entertainment and advertising industry leaders to support peacebuilding efforts, most recently pro bono campaigns to support the peace talks in Colombia and to combat religious intolerance in Europe.

Ms. Roig provides technical and strategic leadership within the global network of affiliate Centers, together with an office in Brussels, and represents the organization within the foreign assistance community with a personal commitment to multi-lateralism and global cooperation. During her tenure, she conceived of and oversaw a three-year global evaluation of the Partners’ investment model in local Centers. The final report released in 2014 has made a substantial contribution to learning in the international development field, including: authentic international and local partnerships, sustainable investment in local capacity, and long-term impact on democratic governance.

Ms. Roig is an attorney licensed in the state of Maryland with many years of diverse international management experience and practical field work. She is a substantive expert in Good Governance, Rule of Law, and Conflict Resolution, and has provided systems design, strategic planning, cooperative advocacy, program management, community outreach and training throughout the world. Prior to joining Partners, Julia served for two years as the Country Director for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative in Belgrade Serbia. She is also a recognized expert on community justice and dispute resolution in Colombia having spent five years living and working from Bogota, promoting a national expansion of the Equity Conciliation and Justice Houses programs. Julia is a specialist in the evaluation of international assistance programs and impact assessments, and has served as team leader for complex, multi-country evaluations in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru and Senegal.

Prior to her international work, Julia served as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for both the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, and the D.C. Courts, acting as the main architect and promoter of new workplace dispute resolution services in both institutions. She previously served as the Chair of the International Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution and as a member of the Editorial Board of Conflict Resolution Quarterly. She is currently on the board of directors of the Alliance for Peacebuilding. Ms. Roig received her J.D. from the George Washington School of Law and is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French.