INDIAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF MINNESOTA (ICAM)
Board Members
Ajay Singh - President
I work in US Bank as Assistant Vice President, Technology Portfolio Management. My wife, Shailaza works in IBM, son in college and daughter working in Minneapolis. I have lived in Rochester, MN since 2005 and have volunteered in various organizations and served as board member in Hindu Samaj Temple and past president of Project Management Institute, Rochester Chapter. My passion is volunteerism and helping the community in the best possible way. My role as President will be setting the strategy and direction of the Association to help meet organization goals to connect, collaborate and educate people on cultural values India brings to the greater Rochester area.
Connect with Ajay at president@icamn.org
Alka Mehra- Vice President
Indian Cultural Association of Minnesota’s purpose is to connect, educate and celebrate. Rochester is a culturally diverse community and I look forward to collaborating with other organizations to celebrate the uniqueness of each culture. I am excited to be on the board as the Vice President. I am passionate about serving the community and look forward to connecting ICAM with other organizations. I like to read, sing and enjoy walking. I love to travel and have been to many countries. I live in Rochester with my husband. We have one daughter who lives in Minneapolis with her husband.
Connect with Alka at vicepresident@icamn.org
Namrata Tomer - General Secretary
I was raised in Pune a beautiful city in the western ghats of Maharashtra and moved to France in 2003 to pursue my PhD. I spent the next several years working in Germany, Canada, and a few cities in the United States and finally settled down in Rochester in 2011. All this traveling has made me learn about different people, cultures, and traditions making me a very adaptable and compassionate person today.
I live in Rochester with my husband and a 10-year-old son. I currently work at Mayo Clinic as a Scientist developing new lab tests. I love traveling, gardening, exploring new cuisines, and spending time with my family and friends. I have been involved with the Rochester Hindi School since last year. I am excited and honored to be a part of the ICAM board.
Connect with Namrata at gensecratery@icamn.org
Verna Simon - Treasurer
I am excited to be the treasurer of ICAM. At this moment in America, it is extremely important for us to appreciate all the ways we contribute to this country. We should simultaneously celebrate our cultural heritage even as we connect with friends and neighbors from various other backgrounds. ICAM was created to facilitate these celebrations and these connections. I am thankful to be a part of this endeavor. I am a Genomics Researcher at Mayo Clinic and I serve as the President of the People’s Food Co-op. I am a vegetarian who enjoys cooking and entertaining. I love classic cars and can be seen driving my 1966 Pontiac LeMans around town. I also regularly do Pilates, Yoga, Middle Eastern dance, and Classical Indian dance.
Connect with Verna at treasurer@icamn.org
Sarika Pandey - Director (Education)
I was born and brought up in the rich cosmopolitan culture of Mumbai, India and moved to the USA in 2008. I have been resident of Rochester, MN, for 7 years with my husband and two daughters. I like to share and learn about diverse cultures and am looking forward to joining the ICAM team and contributing to their mission to connect, collaborate, and educate people regarding Indian culture. As an educational director, I hope to provide the tool of Hindi Language to our next generation so they can connect with their extended families and use it to get acquainted with their roots. I enjoy cooking, dancing, and spending time with family and friends.
Contact with Sarika at education@icamn.org
Santhi Subramaniam - Director at Large
I am proud to be on the ICAM board as Member at large, where I will collaborate with other directors to promote the organization. I am currently the President of Hindu Samaj Temple in Rochester, MN. My hopes are for the Organization to grow exponentially in the various arts and culture that holds the Indian Subcontinent together while uniting similar organizations in SE Minnesota. I am passionate about service and being involved in diverse community activities. I am a Physician by Profession and work at MCHS- Cannon Falls as a Hospitalist. I volunteer at the Temple and am involved in actively trying to build a New Temple. My husband and I live in Zumbrota. My daughter is an Internal Medicine Resident at Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, WI and my son is doing his final year of engineering at Madison.
Connect with Santhi at atlarge@icamn.org
Ram Kadirvel - Director (Communications)
Rochester has been my home for the last 18 years. I have been involved in Tamil school since its inception and continued to teach younger kids. I live with my wife and two wonderful kids. I am a Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiology. In addition to my passion for biomedical research, my interest and hobbies are towards technology. I am thankful to be serving at ICAM in communications and excited to serve the community. My goal with ICAM is to be able to execute the ideas of the team and effectively share them with everyone.
Connect with Ram at communication@icamn.org
Seema Kumar - Director (Outreach)
Dr. Seema Kumar is Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She is the Chair of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and also serves as the program director of the Pediatric Endocrinology fellowship program at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. Dr. Kumar completed her medical school training and residency in pediatrics at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi before moving to Rochester.
Dr. Kumar has been a resident of Rochester for the past 25 years. She has a passion for improving health of children and their families in the community. Her specific area of interest is childhood obesity. She is the medical director of the Pediatric Weight Management Program at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. Dr. Kumar has been the primary investigator of several clinical trials in children with obesity. Dr. Kumar has over 200 scientific publications and presentations in national and international journals and conferences
Connect with Seema at outreach@icamn.org
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Vidya Iyer - Director (Cultural Events)
I’m really excited to be part of the Indian Cultural Association of Minnesota to help organize and lead cultural events in our community on behalf of the organization. I was very fortunate to experience a cosmopolitan and diverse culture growing up in big cities like Kolkata and New Delhi. I was exposed to various parts of the Indian subcontinent as I used to travel extensively due to extended families living in various parts of India. India is truly a melting pot of different cultures encompassing various languages, traditions, music, art dance forms food etc. As cultural director of ICAM, my vision is to provide an immersive cultural exposure and experience to the Rochester community and its surrounding areas by fostering rich partnerships with similar organizations with a diverse mission.
I moved to the United States in 1998 for a master’s degree and have been living in the Rochester community for the past 17 years with my husband and two kids and have loved being part of the Rochester fabric. I work as an administrator in the Department of Development at Mayo Clinic with leadership responsibilities for the overall operational and strategic directives of philanthropic activities for key Mayo Clinic priorities. I have a strong interest in developing and mentoring young and diverse leaders and am very passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. To this end, I serve as the Chair of Mayo Clinic Department of Development’s Diversity Council and am the department diversity leader at the Mayo Clinic’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Prior to joining Mayo Clinic in 2006, I spent 6 years as the public relations and operations director for the Charter school division of Milwaukee Public schools where I managed communications, fundraising initiatives as well as operations of 2 charter schools under the Milwaukee Public school system. In my spare time, I love to travel all around the world experiencing diverse food and cultures, enjoy watching all genres of movies, dancing, music and spending time with family and friends.
Connect with Vidya at culturalevents@icamn.org