Executive Leadership
Driving our mission from vision to impact
Shaun Jayachandran
Founder & Executive Director
Shaun founded Hoops Creating Hope in 2012 with a simple theory: basketball could keep kids in school. Today, that theory is proven with 85% of our students completing high school—5.3x the national rate for their demographic.
A 2x TEDx speaker and elite basketball coach, Shaun brings a legendary coaching lineage (John Wooden → Lefty Driesell → Morgan Wootten) to youth development in India. He combines 20+ years of coaching excellence with educational leadership expertise to create transformative programs.
Durjoy "Ace" Bhattacharjya
Board Chair
Ace leads our Board with entrepreneurial vision and strategic expertise from building innovative healthcare and sports technology solutions. As Founder and CEO of medicalrecords.com, he brings deep understanding of scaling impact-driven organizations.
His extensive background includes senior leadership at EXOS and Director roles at USTTA/US Open, combining sports industry expertise with governance excellence. Ace serves as a judge for both the Webby Awards and Harvard Business School Venture Competition, bringing world-class strategic oversight to our mission.
Nicholas Rathod
Board Member
President of People of Culture Studios – Impact. Former Special Assistant to President Obama and Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs in the White House. First person of South Asian descent to run a statewide campaign in U.S. history.
Ebony Hoffman
Board Member
Current LA Sparks Assistant Coach. Former WNBA player for Indiana Fever, Connecticut Sun, and LA Sparks. Former Assistant Coach for WNBA Seattle Storm. USC Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. International professional basketball career in WNBA and Europe.
Ajay Mago
Board Member
Managing Partner at Edwards Maxson Mago & Macaulay, LLP. Nationally recognized lawyer and boardroom advisor. Featured in Washington Post, India Business Law Journal, Law360, and Legal 500 U.S.
Vasu Kulkarni
Board Member
Founder & CEO of Krossover, a sports data analytics company in NYC. "The Bangalore Blitz" from his basketball days at UPenn. Active in tech startup community and passionate about sports innovation.
Dr. Ashleigh Huffman
Board Member
Global Director of Gender Equality at Athletes for Hope. PhD in Sociocultural Studies. Co-director of U.S. State Department's "Global Sports Mentoring Program," training 10,000+ global sports leaders from 75 countries.
Carie Small Richeal
Board Member
Co-Founder and Editor of WSN247.com. Digital marketing professional and former Division I basketball player. Faculty member since 2012. Champion of digital tools and passionate advocate for gender equity in sports.
Ani Sanyal
Board Member
Entrepreneur and CEO/Co-founder of Kolkata Chai Co., a food and beverage brand introducing authentic masala chai to Western markets. NYU graduate (Economics & Finance) building a career at the intersection of culture, commerce, and creativity. Previously co-founded Green Room Creative, handling campaigns for Instagram and SAAVN.
Prakash Janakiraman
Board Member
Co-Founder and Chief Architect of Nextdoor, the world's largest social network for neighborhoods. Over 20 years building consumer applications used by hundreds of millions. Previously led engineering team for Google Maps.
Raquel Boudreau
Board Member
Director of Operations, Social at Overtime, leading creative and operational strategy for one of basketball's most influential digital platforms. Former Senior Manager of Creative Project Management for PUMA Hoops, and previous roles at NESN, BitSight Technologies, and the NBA.
Meg O'Donnell
Board Member
Passionate advocate for education equity and youth empowerment. Committed to expanding opportunities for underserved communities through sports-based development programs.
Miten Shah
Board Member
Coming soon - Bio and details to be added.
Priya Giri Desai
Board Member
Emmy-nominated producer and documentary filmmaker. Duke graduate with two decades of media experience including PBS, LIFE magazine, and award-winning documentary "Lovesick" about HIV/AIDS in India. Founding board member of The India Center Foundation.
Varsity Hoops Board
Young Professionals committed to passing leadership, equality, and hope to the next generation
Jorel Joseph
Captain
Director of Business Development at Keolis North America. Captain of Wagner College D1 football team. Volunteered with Crossover Academy India, creating certification programs for coaches. 40 Under 40 honoree in Mass Transit industry.
Edward Pastorino
Captain
Senior Manager of Enterprise SaaS Sales at Capital One Software. University of South Carolina graduate (B.S. in Investments and Risk Management). Proven leader in business development and strategic sales.
Parus Nischal
Board Member
Founder and CEO of Nischal Sports Group. Football player scout and agent representing athletes globally. Passionate about building sustainable grassroots sports infrastructure and creating pathways for youth athletes worldwide.
Hannah O'Flynn
Board Member
Content Producer and On-Camera Host at ESPN. Former Division I athlete at Dartmouth College. Former NBA and WNBA producer with 130k+ social media following. Passionate advocate for women's sports and gender equality in athletics.
Meg Christiansen
Board Member
Program Manager at Staffmark Group. Background in hospitality management and client engagement. Committed to operational excellence and community development through sports.
Bailey Holloway
Board Member
Program Manager at FundPlay Foundation. University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate. Dedicated to creating opportunities for youth through sports and education programs.
Jonah Travis
Board Member
Senior Media Associate at Taboola. Harvard graduate and recruited student athlete. Integral part of four Ivy League Championships and two NCAA Tournament wins. Volunteered with Crossover in India for two years.
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