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.

Nisha Kurup - Vice President

I am originally from Kerala, a tiny State in the Southern part of India. Social worker by profession, I am currently employed as Victim Services Program Manager at the Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association (IMAA). As a resident of Rochester, I have been involved with the functioning of various nonprofit organizations and have collaborated with interdisciplinary teams for community projects. My husband Unni and our three boys enjoy being part of the Rochester fabric. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be part of the ICAM Board of Directors.

Alka Mehra- General Secretary

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 General secretary. 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.

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.

Shounak Majumder - Director (Cultural Events)

I was born in Kolkata, India and moved to the United States to pursue a career in medicine. The inherent variation in landscape, cuisine, religion and language across the country has shaped the culture of India to be regionally diverse and globally inclusive at the same time. My interest in this uniquely vibrant cultural heritage led me to actively seek opportunities for participating in and organizing cultural events initially in my local neighborhood in Kolkata, subsequently as a member of the Bengali Association of Greater Hartford, Connecticut and most recently in Rochester, Minnesota. As a board member of ICAM, I will primarily be focusing on organizing and promoting events that showcase the culture of India. I welcome those familiar with our culture to unite with us in this celebration of joy. We will strive to provide an inclusive environment to individuals from all over the world seeking to explore the culture of India.

Savita Katarya - Director (Education & Languages)

Every individual, every culture has a story that needs a platform to share and develop inter-connectivity with each other. Rajesh and I moved to Rochester, MN in 1993 and have raised our three kids with help of our wonderful friends and community members. Over the last 20 years I have served on various local and state-wide task forces and educational initiatives, including a Hindi language program for youth. Currently, I work as the Senior Organizational Equity Strategist at the Diversity Council. I am excited about continuing to serve our community through ICAM and expand educational opportunities to not only share the richness of our diverse culture, heritage, and language programs with the larger community, but also to promote intercultural dialogue and learning.

Santhi Subramanium - 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.

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 Radiology at Mayo Clinic. 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.