Board of Directors
Rajani Priya Ayilavarapu
Founder & CEO
Rajani Priya Ayilavarapu, a graduate in Bachelor of Dental Sciences from Rajiv Gandhi Health University, India. She has served as dentist across different geographical locations in India. She actively participated in Boston University Clinical Research Center for over 4 years. Rajani Priya is from Andhra Pradesh, India, born into a family of physician of traditional Indian Medicine Ayurveda and Management graduates. Growing up in an environment of deeply rooted values of culture of India and ideology of equality, has inspired Rajani into the sharing & caring way of life from an early age. Has volunteered in rural parts of India as dentist, serving to their needs. Rajani’s vision to expand the services to different horizons and genres, has resulted in the birth of Unite & Inspire on November 16th, 2018.
Dr. Debarati Banerjee
Cofounder
Dr. Deborah Banerjee (full name – Debarati Banerjee) serves as the Deputy Assistant Director for Houston Health Department (HHD) and leads the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Research for Effectiveness (OPERE). She has twenty years of experience in the field of public health, spanning both research and practice. Dr. Banerjee has worked for the University of Texas Health Science Center Department of Psychiatry for 5 years. She has also worked for the UT School of Public Health for 2 years. She completed a fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Banerjee earned her doctorate from University of Texas School of Public Health in 2006. Her areas of specializations were Epidemiology, Behavioral Sciences, Health Policy during her doctoral studies. She holds a Masters’ degree in Educational Psychology, Statistics and Measurement. She is passionate about social justice issues and looks for ways to serve underserved communities. She speaks Bengali, Hindi and some Urdu. She is married to Mr. King Banerjee and has 3 children, the youngest being a Freshman in College.
Dhruti Gopaluni
Director & Treasurer
Dhruti ‘Dhru’ Gopaluni grew up in Houston, TX, but lives in Washington DC, where she works as a technical consultant. She has a bachelor’s degree in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University (’17), with a focus on Organizations, Technology, and Policy. Dhruti started working with educational nonprofits in grade school, and her involvement in that area of work has grown – with particular interests in civic engagement and adult literacy. In her free time, she enjoys reading, music, and bad jokes.
Sonali Sapru
Director & Vice-President
Sonali has been part of the Unite & Inspire journey for several years and previously served as President of U&I. During her time with the organization, she has helped shape programs and partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for youth to give back and make an impact in their communities.
She believes strongly in leading with empathy and putting people first and has spent years mentoring and leading teams of students through creative, problem-solving experiences while encouraging them to collaborate, think differently, take ownership and turn ideas into action.
Professionally, Sonali is a product leader in healthcare technology, with more than a decade of experience building and growing products from inception to scale. She enjoys bringing people together around a vision, solving complex problems, and turning ideas into solutions that create meaningful value. She brings that same curiosity, empathy, and builder mindset to her community work.
Deepa Ranjith
Secretary
Ms. Deepa Ranjith works as Data Engineer at a start-up based in Dallas, TX. Deepa has been a consultant with one of the leading nonprofit CRM companies for most of her career. Her love for nonprofits was developed over the years through the exposure to many clients she has served over the years. Deepa lives in Katy with her husband and two girls Anagha & Ananya and a boy, Toby – the Bernedoodle. Ms. Deepa began her journey in Unite & Inspire matching her passion to make a difference with the selected works that came forward to help as a valued team member. With short period of time, recognizing the necessity of the organization, stepped up to help with not just Social Media needs of U&I but also the Registrations & nonprofit CRM needs.
Shilpa Nistane
Director & Jt. Secretary
Shilpa Nistane is a Healthcare IT SME. She brings a strong combination of technology expertise, strategic thinking, and a passion for developing people and creating meaningful community impact.
She has been involved with Unite & Inspire since 2019 and has played an active role in the Internship Program, helping connect students with meaningful experiential learning opportunities, mentors, and community-focused projects. She is particularly passionate about creating opportunities that empower young people build confidence, develop leadership skills, and a spirit of service.
Dr. Sanjukta Mukherji
Director-Org Development
Sanjukta Mukherji is a special educator, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, neurodiversity advocate, and Doctoral scholar in Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. With more than 20 years of lived and professional experience across education, disability services, nonprofit, and community settings, her work focuses on improving inclusion, independence, and opportunities for individuals with disabilities across the lifespan.
As a board member her vision is o help Unite & Inspire expand meaningful opportunities for individuals of all abilities to participate, contribute, and thrive within their communities. Building on our emerging peer-engagement model, she hopes to expand opportunities for U&I youth to learn from, support, and grow alongside one another. Through strong partnerships and reciprocal learning, she envisions U&I developing a broader, lasting impact both locally and globally.
Mr. Ravi Brahmbhatt
Community Engagement
Dr. Ravi Brahmbhatt , an education doctoral graduate and accredited investor, is committed to fostering enterpreneurship and innovation. Dr. Brahmbhatt is the Director of Student Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Houston Community College. He has developed acclaimed programs enhancing economic opportunities for Texas entrepreneurs.
Ravi holds leadership roles in TiE Houston and TiE University, and mentors aspiring entrepreneurs through SCORE and UH SURE. He also advises regional and international organizations dedicated to entrepreneurship leveraging his extensive network and passion for driving positive change.
Dr. Brahmbhatt’s focus would be community Engagement of Unite & Inspire.
Arundhati Krishna
Director& Jt.Treasurer
Ms. Arundhati Krishna graduated from UH in 2023 in chemical engineering and now working as a Chemical Engineer at a reputed chemical company in Houston.
Ms. Krishna has been with U&I since its inception as a volunteer member, led various community projects and further moved to youth council chair We are now excited to welcome Ms. Arundhati Krishna to board serving as Joint Treasurer on board! We look forward to her contributions in helping build this organization and accelerating our mission with a contemporary benefiting our incredible communities.
