Founder

Satya S. Tripathi is Secretary-General of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet.

A development economist, lawyer and changemaker with over 40 years of varied experience, Mr. Tripathi is the Chancellor of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences - the world's largest academic institution dedicated exclusively to indigenous people and cultures. He is also a Senior Distinguished Fellow on Innovative Finance at the World Agroforestry Centre.

He has served with the UN for more than two decades in key positions across the planet and was most recently the UN Assistant Secretary-General, Head of the New York Office at UN Environment and Secretary of the UN Environment Management Group. His other strategic engagements with the UN include Head of Human Rights Investigations for the UN in post-war Bosnia (UNMIBH); Chair of the Committees on Laws, Treaties and Administrative matters for the UN-mediated Cyprus unification talks in 2004; UN Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias where he facilitated international cooperation and funding of over US$ 7 billion for post-tsunami recovery efforts in support of the government and affected populations; and Executive Head of UNORCID, a UN System Office established by the UN Secretary-General in 2011 to facilitate the implementation of a US$ 1 Billion REDD+ partnership between Indonesia, Norway and other stakeholders.

Mr. Tripathi was instrumental in establishing the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF) in Indonesia in 2016 and the Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF) in 2017 to leverage ‘private finance for public good’ at mega-scale to achieve transformative social and environmental impact for millions of people in developing countries. He previously served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Forests.

Prof. Amareswar Galla is an internationally acclaimed expert in inclusivecultural leadership and sustainable heritage development. With a Ph.D.from the Australian National University, Canberra, his career spansseveral continents and a multitude of roles that emphasize culturalinclusivity and heritage preservation.

Prof. Galla has significantly contributed as the Founding ExecutiveDirector of the International Institute for the Inclusive Museum, wherehe championed the integration of cultural diversity and inclusivity inmuseum practices globally. His role as the UNESCO Chair on InclusiveMuseums & Sustainable Heritage Development further highlights hisinfluence in shaping heritage policies and practices worldwide.

Renowned for his publication record, Prof. Galla's works, such as thosecelebrating the 40th Anniversary of the 1972 World HeritageConvention, have been influential in heritage and museum studies. Hisexpertise has been sought in various global forums, including his tenureas a Salzburg Global Fellow, influencing cultural heritageunderstanding and policy-making internationally.

In addition to his work with museums and heritage, Prof. Galla has heldprestigious academic positions, contributing to the discourse oncultural diversity, sustainability, and heritage development. His role as aProfessor and Director at the International Centre for Inclusive CulturalLeadership (ICICL) and his visitorships at institutions like theSmithsonian reflect the breadth of his impact in the field.

Dwiti Vikramaditya has been serving as the Vice President of both KIIT University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Odisha, India since 2006. During his tenure, he has been instrumental in spearheading initiatives aimed at securing needs-based development projects for KISS, fostering partnerships with various stakeholders including government departments, UN Agencies, foundations, and corporates. These collaborations have significantly influenced sustainable development, quality education, and social justice for indigenous communities in Odisha.

Currently, Aditya is leading efforts to establish 20 new KISS campuses in Odisha by 2030, with the aim of positively impacting the lives of 2 million indigenous people. Additionally, he has played a pivotal role in advancing KIIT University's internationalization agenda by forging over 150 collaborations with foreign universities and institutions. This has involved hosting scholars and international visitors, from all over the world. Aditya's expertise also extends to facilitating strategic support to the government during humanitarian crises and natural disasters by coordinating efforts between NGOs and the private sector.

Vikramaditya’s dedication to public service and leadership excellence is evident through his participation in prestigious programs such as the IVLP Fellowship (2008), Fulbright Scholarship (2018), and UN Executive Leadership Programme for Sustainable Development (2021). In 2023, Aditya completed a Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and currently serves on the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Board (2024-2028), in addition to being the India Lead for the UNSSC Nelson Mandela Global Academy for Social Change (2024-2029), further enhancing his capabilities in driving positive social change.

Professor Debashis Bandyopadhyay is the current Vice Chancellor (Acting) of KISS Deemed University. Prof. Bandyopadhyay is the Pro-Vice Chancellor of KIIT-DU. Formerly, he was the interim Vice Chancellor of Kazi Nazrul University, West Bengal and Professor of English at Rabindra Bharati University. In his thirty years of teaching and research career he worked as Professor in Banaras Hindu University, Vidyasagar University, West Bengal and Presidency College and University, Kolkata. As a Fulbright Scholar he taught and pursued research in California State University, USA and was engaged in post-doctoral research in St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, UK. He has been an international visiting professor in Mexico and Greece. His research interests include Psychoanalysis and literary and Cultural Texts. He is widely published in India and abroad. His book Locating the Anglo-Indian self in Ruskin Bond: A Postcolonial Review, brought out by Anthem Press, New York, has been shortlisted by the Washington Higher Education Chronicle.

Prashanta is a social development specialist, who holds a Master Degree and Ph. D. in Psychology, with a specialization in cognitive development of children. He currently serves as CEO at KISS Foundation and Registrar, KISS Deemed to be University, wherein he oversees institutional development and management of the institute in addition to monitoring numerous projects supported by UNFPA, UNICEF, UNESCO, US Embassy in India, ORACLE Education Foundation, TISS, Give India, National Mineral Development Corporation, Tata Steel Ltd., BPCL and other corporate foundations. He has also successfully forged collaborations and mobilised projects on different aspects of tribal development and research work. Moreover, he liaises with government and non-government organizations for grant and fund-raising activities.

Mr. Pramod holds Master Degrees in History, Odia & Sociology, in addition to professional degrees in B.Ed and Law.

His association with KISS is more than 2 decades. As one of the Core Team Members of KISS, he has developed a good ambiance for teaching-learning transactions & is known for his able administration. Apart from these, he has also developed guidelines/systems for several activities & their smooth implementation at KISS. He is very much competent to monitor the day to day activities that are followed and implemented for the 30, 000 students of KISS.

He is responsible for liaising with the government and other stakeholders on various issues on education & allied programs. Moreover, he coordinates community level Mega Awareness/Sensitization Programs which are organized frequently by KISS for its community engagement initiatives.
Pramod closely looks after the Academic and administrative activities in different KISS satellite centres established in different tribal-dominated districts of Odisha. He is closely associated with the Alumni, Parents/Guardian and other stakeholders of KISS.

In addition to this, he is also the author of several articles and two books. He has a keen interest in editing and writing special case studies of the tribal students who belong to the remote tribal dominated districts of the state.

Pramod has also been confirmed with Best Staff Award and has received numerous State and National Level awards/recognitions for his outstanding contribution in the field of education, literature and social work.

Easwar is a Chartered Accountant with over 42 years of experience in both public and private sectors.

Basanta is a seasoned professional responsible for day-to-day monitoring and supervision of infrastructure development work along with general administration of KISS. He also monitors infrastructure and developmental work of various branches of KISS established or being established in different districts of Odisha. Armed with an MBA and a Masters in Political Science, Basanta has rich experience in the development sector. Over the course of his two-decade-long career, as an indispensable Core Team member of KISS Management, he has positively contributed to several mega projects and events of KISS and its sister concern, KIIT. These include Green Initiative, 1st Khelo India University Games (2020), Indian Science Congress (2012); Four Guinness World Records by KISS, among others.

Rudra holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and NIS in Health and Fitness. He has been pivotal in identifying sports talent at KISS, training our students to perform nationally and internationally since 2006. Under his tutelage, KISS boys won U-14 Rugby World Cup in London in 2007. Rudra’s story has been the inspiration for a Bollywood movie ‘Jungle Cry’ (2021) featuring Abhay Deol, which portrays the success of the tribal boys from KISS. Rudra has also trained Ace Indian sprinter and KIIT student Ms. Dutee Chand to her Gold victory at the 100m event at the World University Games (2019) in Italy. Rudra is also a member of the Indian Delegation Officials and was Manager of the Athletics Team at the event.

Sanghamitra is Deputy Director, Projects, KISS. She holds a Master and M.Phil degrees in Education with a B.Ed in Special Education. She has also completed PG diploma in Educational Administration and Management. She has worked in the social development

Debendra has been associated with KISS since 2010. He is responsible for overseeing various administrative and operational functions of the institute, spanning across locations in Bhubaneswar, satellite centers, and other districts of the state.

As a key member of the core group, he collaborates with various offices and personnel associated with the Founder’s office, KIIT University, KIMS, KIIT International School, KIIT ITI, Kalinga TV, Kadambini, KIIT Temple trust, and other entities to ensure effective coordination and execution of diverse activities, programs, and visits. His responsibilities also involve liaising with government institutions, corporate partners, and other stakeholders at different levels to address crucial issues. At KISS, he works closely with the Core Committee to ensure the smooth functioning of the institute in all aspects, facilitate guest visits, assist various departments within the institute, and address any issues as needed.

Debendra also coordinates with district coordinators to ensure the successful execution of various activities, including addressing issues related to satellite centers, meeting the requirements and concerns of district administration, and maintaining and updating databases. He works in tandem with the operations, finance, and administrative teams to ensure the effective functioning of district offices and associated personnel. In the realm of research and development, he aids project teams in coordinating with various government stakeholders at the state and district levels, guiding the implementation processes.

During his tenure with KISS, Debendra has successfully completed his M. Phil in Women’s Studies and a PhD in Sociology.

Suraj brings diverse work experience from managing customers in the telecom sectors across the US and UK, operating systems and networking, to backend processing in the IT sphere. Following this, he transitioned into client-based services, further expanding his expertise when he ventured into FMCG, supply chain delivery, and logistics. At KISS, Suraj has spent more than a decade overseeing brand building, logistics, project management, and fundraising. His enthusiasm and dedication to empowering underserved communities are directly influenced by our founder.

Kadey is actively involved in initiatives involving the education of tribal children, primarily with issues including enrolment, mother tongue-based multilingual education and arresting drop-outs. He formerly oversaw the Employability Training Program funded by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), focusing on employability support initiatives among college graduates. Additionally, Kadey leads the Santali Khabar team, benchmarking innovative ways to collaborate with Odisha’s indigenous communities. Besides this, he renders support to KISS’ dynamic district teams. Kadey has also authored a book titled “Rethinking on Tribal Education”. Kadey is also the Convenor of KISS-DU’s Tribal Advisory Committee, wherein he provides strategic leadership and direction on all matters about the welfare and advancement of Indigenous students and the overall institutional development. He has previously worked within the domain of mental health, substance abuse and behavioural modification. Kadey has a Master’s degree in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and is currently also pursuing a PhD from KIIT University.

Nizni holds a Master's in Social Work with a specialization in Urban and Rural Community Development from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She has worked in areas such as gender equality, social inclusion, social safeguards, governance, displacement, resettlement and rehabilitation, Indigenous empowerment, and climate action. Her professional experience includes working with the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank, where she contributed to initiatives on gender-responsive planning and budgeting, ending violence against women, and the resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced communities. Nizni has extensive experience collaborating with state governments

on policy formulation, research, and documentation, with a strong focus on developing and managing programs aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Nizni has contributed to significant projects such as TIGRESS with Cambridge University, Project Chirag with the University of East Anglia, disaster risk management under JICA during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Empower Her with the U.S. Department of State, among others. She has also played a key role in organizing conferences, workshops, and the development of knowledge products. Nizni has authored several articles and reports for various platforms, sharing her expertise on gender-responsive governance and related topics.

Nizni’s contributions have earned her several prestigious fellowships, including the Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence at the University of Oxford and the Professional Fellows Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. She has also participated in the International School on Climate Migration hosted by SOAS, University of London, and has been recognized as an expert by the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab.

Sabyasachi holds a Master’s degree in psychology. He has over 22 years of experience on project management skills, particularly with respect to professional skills of Project Planning with Monitoring & Evaluation. . In the past, he has worked with different national and international agencies such as Spanish Red Cross on disaster management and disaster preparedness program, American Red cross on Disaster mental health and psychosocial care and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on life skills and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive health, Sabyasachi brings his commitment to his current role as Senior Project Manager at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). He liaises and coordinates the life skills education program in the institute as well as in the State. He successfully advocated introducing life skills education in the Physical education curriculum. To add, he is a trainer on child rights and protection issues, life skills and Adolescent reproductive and sexual health.

Debendra is a development professional with experience in project management, planning, and capacity building in areas such as decentralised planning, local governance, livelihoods, skill development, migration, and community resilience, among others. He has worked with community-based organisations, international non-governmental organisations, and UN agencies. He supports planning and execution of development projects, SDG initiatives as well as technology-enabled blended skilling efforts at KISS. He also oversees partnerships with UN agencies. Debendra holds a Master's degree in Public Administration and has received training in Result-Based Management, International Organisation Management, and Sustainable Development Goals.

As Deputy Director of Projects, Adiroopa has managed strategic editorial & digital communications & branding for KISS for over seven years. She holds a Bachelor's degree in
English Literature from the University of Minnesota Morris, USA (2015), as well as Double Master's Degrees in Peace & Conflict Studies from Philipps Universität Marburg, Germany, and the University of Kent, UK (2017). Additionally, she is a certified "Compassionate Integrity Training" facilitator by UNESCO-MGIEP (New Delhi, 2020) and a TCS certified trainer for English & Communication skills under its "Free Employability Training Program " affirmative action initiative at KISS (Odisha, 2018). She has briefly taught under the English Department of KISS-Deemed to be University and as a Visiting Faculty at KIIT University’s School of Mass Communications.

Her research interests focus on reducing inequalities and improving equity and access in higher education, by mitigating linguistic barriers to foster Indigenous students’ agency and self-awareness as communicators. She is working on setting up KISS-DU’s Centre for Writing and Communication (CWC), which aims to provide strategic leadership & training on inclusive, multilingual programming & pedagogy, working alongside academic leadership, instructors, campus partners, and students to ensure that Indigenous students have the communication skills they need to succeed in their scholarly activities & future careers. Under its remit, she is teaching a “Foundations of Communication” course focusing on helping students build confident public speaking and writing skills. As an integral part of the organisation’s SDG Centre and International Relations team, she also contributes in various capacities to the organisation and implementation of conferences & programs with KISS’ stakeholders, primarily around Sustainable Development Goals #4, #5, #10 and #17. Adiroopa is also listed as an expert with the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab.

Aparupa Patnaik is currently serving as the Deputy Director at the Center for American Studies & School of Arts at KIIT & KISS University. She is a sociologist, Indian classical Odissi dancer, anchor, environmental advocate and doctoral student.

Aparupa has expertise in art curation, cultural preservation, and sociology. She has been involved in research and development initiatives to explore the intersection of art, culture, and society through interdisciplinary approaches. She oversees internship and volunteering activities at KISS and manages the India-Bangladesh Study and Cultural Center, a collaboration between the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology and Daffodil International University, Bangladesh. As a committee member of the KIIT Souvenir Gallery, she amplifies the voices of women entrepreneurs by showcasing their remarkable creations and championing their journey to market prominence within the gallery’s diverse and dynamic space.

She is a Gold Medallist in Sociology (Post Graduation - 2019) from Utkal University and an official constituency member of the Children and Youth Major Group of the United Nations Environment Programme. She has received both the Junior and Senior National Scholarships from the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), New Delhi, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Aparupa has also been awarded the Mercedes-Benz Fellowship in Germany for her work as a changemaker in the field of climate change and sustainability. She is an empanelled and A+ graded artist with the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and an anchor for Doordarshan National. Aparupa has been felicitated by various prestigious organizations, universities, and institutions for her contributions to dance and academics.