Board Members

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

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

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

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

  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

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

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

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

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