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Guiding Youth to Serve

TALYouth Leaders

TALYouth prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for social service and social impact — guided by innovators, educators and changemakers across the US and India.

 

Core Team, US

Leaders shaping TALYouth’s vision from Silicon Valley and beyond.

Veena Gundavelli

Veena Gundavelli

Chairperson
INNOVATOR, ENTREPRENEUR, CEO AND PHILANTHROPIST

Veena Gundavelli is a Silicon Valley based tech innovator and entrepreneur in Artificial Intelligence and Fintech. She is the Founder and CEO of Emagia, Digital Finance Cloud Solutions. She is a board member of Solix, Data Management Cloud provider. She is the co-founder of Touch-A-Life Foundation, a digital philanthropy platform, and the Chairperson of TALYouth, the youth social innovation program from Touch-A-Life Foundation.

She is a member, author and speaker of the Forbes Technology Council, and was a special representative for the US for the ITEC department, AP Government. She has received "Innovator of the Year" by Women in IT Awards 2018, "Trail Blazer of the Year" by Forum of Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) and "Women of Distinction in Technology" by Silicon Valley Business Journal, among other accolades.

Chris Funk

Superintendent, Dublin Unified School District
Board of Advisor, Touch-A-Life Foundation

Chris Funk is the Superintendent of Dublin Unified School District. A native of San Jose, he received his MA in Social Science from San Jose State University in 1991. Chris has been in public education for the past thirty years, working in San Jose Unified for eighteen years; fourteen as an administrator. As principal at Lincoln High School, the school earned a 21st Century School of Distinction, Lighthouse Award, California Distinguished School Award and a six-year WASC accreditation.

Chris was the superintendent of East Side Union High School District from 2012 to June 2021, where he oversaw sixteen schools, 22,000 students and an Adult Education program serving another 4,000 students.

Chris is also a TALYouth board advisor, helping provide his educational expertise and resources to further develop the TALYouth program, encouraging students to volunteer and give back to their community.

Chris Funk
Manuel Serapio

Manuel Serapio

Discipline Director and Associate Professor for International Business

Manuel Serapio is a Discipline Director and Associate Professor for International Business & Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Denver, with 33+ years of extensive experience in the education field.

He completed his MBA at the University of Hawaii and his Ph.D. in International Business at the University of Illinois. He has authored many publications and received numerous awards.

He is a member of the Academy of International Business, Academy of Management, Association of Japanese Business Studies and the Japan America Society of Colorado.

Tej Gundavelli

Founder & CEO — Touch-A-Life Foundation

Tej Gundavelli is a graduate of UC Berkeley and currently works at PayPal. In the past, he has worked with non-profit organizations such as Elefante Blanco and Sacred Heart Community Services to help the Bay Area's homeless community.

By working with school districts throughout the Bay Area, he hopes to use Touch-A-Life Foundation to help homeless students by connecting high school students, working professionals, corporations and institutions who want to use their resources for the local homeless student community.

Tej Gundavelli
Sai Gundavelli

Sai Gundavelli

Board of Director

Sai Gundavelli is the Founder and CEO of Solix Technologies, Inc., responsible for the company's overall vision and strategic direction. Under his leadership, Solix pioneered the concept of Enterprise Data Management, providing the first worldwide infrastructure platform to manage structured and unstructured enterprise data.

Prior to founding Solix Technologies, he spearheaded several strategic initiatives in Enterprise Application areas at companies like Cisco Systems and Arix Corp. He is a member of the Churchill Club, TiE Charter and NASSCOM, and holds a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

Core Team, India

Mentors and industry leaders growing the movement across India.

JA Chowdary

Chief Evangelizing Officer, TALYouth India
Entrepreneur, Innovator, Angel Investor, Industry Leader

JA Chowdary is an entrepreneur, technology leader and innovator with an illustrious career spanning the private and public sectors. He is passionate about improving the lives of Indian youth through technology education and employment opportunities. Over the last 25 years he has helped grow the Indian IT industry, and has been a key member and founder of social initiatives including Naandi Foundation, Let's Vote AP Development Forum, ADI Foundation, Food 360 Foundation and Hyderabad 10K.

He served as the Special Chief Secretary (Rank of Cabinet Minister) to the Andhra Pradesh Government in the Chief Minister's Office during 2014-19. He is also the founder of Fintech Valley Visakhapatnam and has worked with organizations such as ISRO Satellite Center, BHEL R&D and STPI (DOE).

JA Chowdary
Ajit Rangnekar

Ajit Rangnekar

Chief Mentor, TALYouth India
Director-General, Innovator, Former Dean Indian School of Business

Ajit Rangnekar is the Director-General of the Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad, a Telangana Government initiative. He also heads the PSA-supported Hyderabad city cluster initiative — a collaborative network of research and academic institutions, industry, start-ups, civic bodies and government implementing science and technology innovations for mass impact.

He retired as the Dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB), India's highest-ranked business school, and has been a member of many global committees in business education. He is a governing board member of IIITH, a founding member of T-Hub, a board member of companies, and a director of Social Venture Partners India.

Learn From Leaders Like These

Join a TALYouth Club or build your idea with TALTransformers and get mentored by people who have been there.

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TALYOUTH

Young Minds. Real Action. Global Impact.

An Initiative of Touch-A-Life Foundation