Pratham USA Appoints New President and Board Directors

Pratham USA named a new president, Deepak Raj, and three new directors to its national board: Satish Cherwoo, Dr. Marie Goradia and Rajesh Shah.

Deepak Raj, who succeeds former president, Dr. Atul Varadhachary, is the managing director of private investment firms Rush Brook Partners and Raj Associates. Previously, he spent 24 years at Merrill Lynch managing a team of 700 investment professionals and retired as senior vice president and a member of the firm’s executive management committee. Deepak serves on Pratham USA’s board of directors and is president of our New York Tri-State chapter. He is also the founder of the Raj Center on Indian Economic Policies at Columbia University.

“For two decades, Pratham has been singularly focused on improving the quality of education for India’s poor,” says Deepak. “I believe it represents our single brightest hope for educating India’s children, and I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to help Pratham achieve its mission to have ‘every child in school and learning well.’”

Satish Cherwoo has over 30 years of experience in trading commodities including futures and options for various global trading firms such as Louis Dreyfus Corporation, Marc Rich International, Land O’Lakes and Consolidated Natural Gas. A longtime Pratham supporter, Satish actively contributes to organizations making a significant impact in education, healthcare and the alleviation of poverty.

Dr. Marie Goradia is president of Pratham USA’s Houston chapter and has served on our board since 2010. Trained as a molecular biologist, Dr. Goradia also serves on the boards of the Asia Society and MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is a former president of Woodlands Toastmasters and currently an area governor.

Rajesh (Raj) Shah is a president at MS International, Inc. in Los Angeles and a former vice president in the investment banking division of Lehman Brothers where he focused on financial sponsors/private equity funds. Raj also serves on the board of directors for the Orange County Chapter of Young President’s Organization and the Los Angeles chapter of Pratham USA.

Pratham USA Chairman Dinyar (Dinny) Devitre remarks, “We are extremely pleased to have three new board members and an executive of this caliber to help guide the organization as we enter our next phase of growth. Each of them is a highly accomplished individual with a great passion for Pratham’s cause. We are delighted to welcome them to their new roles in the organization.”

Interested in becoming involved in one of Pratham USA’s 14 chapters? Join a chapter, volunteer, or join the Pratham Young Professionals.