Our Executive Board
LEADERSHIP
Nicholas Williams | President
PhD, Engineering | Pratt School of Engineering
nxw@duke.edu
Nick is a PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He comes to Duke from San Francisco. He has been a member of DISI since he came to Duke in 2017. He started as a Project Innovator and stepped into the role of Director of Operations in Fall of 2018 before ending up as President in Fall 2019. He joined DISI in order to feel more connected to the Durham community by working with non-profits to have a positive impact on the Triangle area. Nick likes cooking and weightlifting.
Charlotte Moore | President
PhD, Developmental Psychology | The Graduate School
charlotte.moore@duke.edu
Charlotte is a PhD student in Developmental Psychology. She hails from Ottawa, Canada. She has been a member of the DISI community since 2017, when she worked as an Executive Director in Partner Outreach before moving onto the ED role for Spring 2019. Her role focuses on enhancing DISI's reach into Durham, and her favorite part of DISI is the huge impact that small projects can have on the community. Charlotte likes knitting and Dungeons & Dragons.
OPERATIONS
Monisha Eadala | Co-Executive Director of Operations
Master in International Development Policy | Sanford School of Public Policy
monisha.eadala@duke.edu
Monisha is a second year MIDP student at Sanford school of Public Policy, concentrating in environmental policy. She is originally from India. Monisha spent the summer working at the IFC, World Bank Group, as a development impact consultant. Having had a wonderful time as a Project Innovator in the previous semester, she is looking forward to being on the board as a Co-Executive Director of Operations this fall and spring. Monisha enjoys trekking and practicing Ashtanga Yoga when not drowning in schoolwork.
Hirak Bhayani | Co-Executive Director of Operations
Master in Business Analytics | Fuqua School of Business
hirak.bhayani@duke.edu
Hirak is pursuing her business studies at the Fuqua School of Business & originally hails from Mumbai, India. Her areas of interest span multiple domains like banking & finance, marketing, merchandising, artificial intelligence, textiles & data analytics. She is strongly inclined to make an impact in the community development space through inclusiveness. This makes her an apt fit for the position of Director - Project Operations. Her role focuses on consulting project managers, managing deadlines & supporting the project & partner selection process in Durham. When not coding or number crunching, she enjoys concocting desserts, reading, hiking & traveling.
Felicia Lim | Co-Executive Director of Operations
PhD, Molecular Cancer Biology | The Graduate School
felicia.lim@duke.edu
Felicia is a PhD student in Molecular Cancer Biology. Born in Indonesia, she stayed in a few other countries before coming to Duke for her graduate study. She first started as a Project Innovator in the Spring of 2019, and then Project Manager in the Fall of 2019. She is now excited to use her experience at DISI to be the Director of Operations this semester. Felicia has always been interested in giving back to the community and through DISI, she feels that she is able to do so by working together with the local non-profits. In her spare time, she loves to read, listen to music, and hike.
PARTNER OUTREACH
Jessica Mackness | Co-Executive Director of Partner Outreach
Master of Science in Global Health | Global Health Institute
jessica.mackness@duke.edu
Jessica is a second-year MSc student in Global Health. She is originally from northern Virginia. Jessica spent the summer working in Ghana with local NGOs developing a maternal mental health intervention. She is new to DISI and currently co- Executive Director of Partner Outreach. She is excited to work in a diverse community to create meaningful social impact. Jessica enjoys hiking and cuddling with her cat Mia in her free time.
Molly Minnig | Co-Executive Director of Partner Outreach
Master of Science in Global Health | Global Health Institute
molly.minnig@duke.edu
Molly is a second year MSc in Global Health student. She grew up in the suburbs of Washington DC before attending college in Philly, and now finds herself enjoying the slower pace of Durham. Molly joined DISI as a Project Innovator in the fall of 2019, and is excited to take on a bigger role in the organization as an executive board member this spring. In her free time outside of class and her research jobs, Molly enjoys working as a dog walker and trying out all of the amazing restaurants quirky Durham has to offer.
INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT
Praveena Motupalli | Executive Director of Internal Development
Master of Quantitative Management, Business Analytics |Fuqua School of Business
praveena.motupalli@duke.edu
Praveena is a graduate student in the Master of Quantitative Management, Business Analytics program at the Fuqua School of Business. She grew up in California and remained there to complete her undergraduate studies at UCSB. She comes from a science and humanities background and hopes to work in the healthcare industry after graduating. She is passionate about using business and analytics to drive positive change. As DISI’s Executive Director of Internal Development, she is especially excited to be supporting the growth and development of an incredible organization that is positively impacting the Durham community. In her free time, she enjoys reading new books and traveling.
MARKETING
Lusine Stepanyan | Co-Executive Director of Marketing
Master in International Development Policy | Sanford School of Public Policy
lusine.stepanyan@duke.edu
Lusine Stepanyan is a second-year MIDP student, minoring in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Prior to coming to Duke, she was managing a school of languages and professional development in Yerevan, Armenia. She has extensive experience in teaching. Her passion is entrepreneurship and mission-driven startups.
Varsha Rajan | Co-Executive Director of Marketing
Masters, Engineering Management | The Pratt School of Engineering
varsha.rajan@duke.edu
Varsha is a Master of Engineering Management student. Originally from India, she has lived all her life in Dubai, before heading to Duke. Driven by passion and inquisitiveness, she thrives in environments that challenge her existing acumen. As a new entrant to the Board, she looks forward to be exposed to a plethora of sundry perspectives, while being able to create a strong sense of community and social-impact. A trained Indian Classical dancer, she feels that it is this fine-art, that keep her sane, amidst all the chaos. Apart from this she also loves to indulge in Indian Street Food and travel.
