Reimagining Governance for the
Social Sector

Samina Alam is the head of the Centre of Excellence for Board and Governance. Samina has spent more than two decades in the space of education and skills, conceptualising and managing large-scale multi-stakeholder engagements across geographies for corporates and nonprofit organisations. She has led systemic interventions for whole state transformation, curriculum and instructional design, training and development, M&E and impact assessment in the foundational learning, K-12 Ed-Tech, and employability skills domains.

Having co-founded her own education and skills startup, Samina operationalised her own brand of preschools for the peri-urban population, led employability skills at school and placement-linked skills after school programs.

She won the ‘Social Entrepreneur’ award in ‘Masterpreneur’ 2015, a national-level competition for Indian startups, organised by the national news channel CNBC Awaaz. She has an entrepreneurial approach to work and life and is passionate about girls’ education, gender equity and career opportunities for those with the least access.

Before joining ILSS, Samina was the CEO of a national level nonprofit, SEEDS Impact, which had a diverse portfolio covering education, livelihoods, skills and health.

Vishakha Singh is a development sector professional with 8 years of experience across education, public health, and fundraising. She has worked with government systems in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh through the Piramal Foundation, and later led donor engagement at The Antara Foundation. Currently at ILSS, she designs and manages programs that build leadership in the social sector. Vishakha began her journey as an experiential learning facilitator and continues to be driven by a deep interest in people, equity, and systems change.

A history graduate from Hindu College, she calls Lucknow home. She harbours varied interests like latin dancing, biking and was also a theatre enthusiast during college. Her work blends strategic thinking with heart.

Bareera Parvez is a professional in education and social development. She holds a Master’s in Sociology and has a strong passion for service. She worked as a Teach For India Fellow, teaching Grade 2 and 3 students in an MCD School in South Delhi. Her focus was on foundational learning, creating safe and supportive classrooms, and designing activities that encourage critical thinking, expression, and sustainability.

She has taken part in youth-led social action projects like Project Gap to Growth, Project Wahdat, and Project Saathi. These projects emphasize sustainability, interfaith harmony, women and community empowerment, and helping young people recognize and address local issues. Before joining Teach For India, she gained experience through research and outreach internships where she managed teams at the local level, working directly with students and communities.

With a strong commitment to service, Bareera wants to create lasting change by linking grassroots realities with broader systems. As an Associate in the Centre of Excellence – Board, she plans to make a significant impact through careful program design, ethical engagement with stakeholders, and encouraging participatory leadership.