Board of Directors



REKHA BAJARIA, PRESIDENT
	Rekha Bajaria is the current President of SAHARA since 2006 and has been a volunteer for SAHARA since 1991. She is a CEO of Madrona Car Wash Inc. in Southern California. She has been on the Radha Krishna Temple board from 2003 and became Vice President in 2005. Her various strengths include fund raising, marketing, and planning business strategies for SAHARA. Her most significant contribution is the acquisition of Transitional Living Home for victims of domestic violence of SAHARA. Her vision for SAHARA is to expand Transitional Living Home into apartment complex, start a thrift store and thereby empower women to live independently.


BHARTI RATHOD, M.D. VICE-PRESIDENT
	Bharti Rathod is a retired physician and has offered her services to the community for several years. Bharti has been a SAHARA volunteer for the last seven years. Currently, she serves as the Board Vice President and supervises SAHARA’s Transitional Living Home.


VIBHUTI BHUTA, TREASURER
	Vibhuti Bhuta, a chartered accountant from India, is a Certified Public Accountant in the US and holds a Master’s degree in taxation. Vibhuti serves as a SAHARA’s treasurer. She has several years of experience in the public and private sectors. Vibhuti is the CFO, PWS, Inc.


PUSHPA VALLABH, SECRETARY
	Pushpa Vallabh is a Paralegal for Honeywell Aerospace with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. She joined the company in 1990 and has held a number of positions in the Payroll, Finance and Law & Contracts Departments. Pushpa’s community service includes helping with events at the Sanatan Dharma Temple since 1996 and she continues to help communities as the need arises. She has been responsible for providing accounting services on a volunteer basis to SAHARA since 2003. She also serves as SAHARA Board’s Secretary.


SHEELA MEHTA, LCSW, PROJECT DIRECTOR
	Sheela Mehta, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and one of the founders of SAHARA, has been working in the field of social work for the past 40 years. She helped create SAHARA in 1991 to provide support that was desperately needed for the growing South Asian population. Working tirelessly to sustain the non-profit organization, Sheela has helped women empower themselves. Over the past 18 years, she has served as Vice-President and President of SAHARA and is currently the project director to oversee client services. She continues to provide culturally sensitive counselling to growing clientele. Sheela has received the Community Service Award from the Orange County Human Services in 1998, and she was honored as a ‘Local Hero’ by Bank of America in 2005.


CHANDRABALA ALAMSHAW, LCSW, VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR & RECRUITER
	Chandrabala Alamshaw is a co-founder of SAHARA and has served the agency in many different capacities. She has provided therapeutic counselling and has served as a SAHARA Treasurer for the past 13 years. Chandrabala’s social work experience in the United States includes 29 years at a state developmental center, Psychiatric Evaluation Team member and Emergency Room Social Worker. She was also an adjunct professor at CSULB supervising student social worker field studies. In India, she served as the Director of Integrated Child Welfare Project in Gujarat. Currently she serves as the volunteer coordinator and recruiter.


DR. RAJ BHAGAT, M.D. MENTAL HEALTH
	Raj Bhagat has been practicing as an adult, child and adolescent psychiatrist in the South Bay area for the last 27 years. He also serves on the clinical faculty of Harbor-UCLA, supervising psychiatry residents that rotate through his clinic as part of their 3rd-year out-patient rotation. He has been on the Board of SAHARA for the past three years. Raj is evaluating Sahara’s clients Mental Health status and help liaison with community Mental Health agencies. He is currently the assistant chief in the department of psychiatry; hence he has both clinical and administrative responsibilities.


NIRUPA SEJPAL PARMAR, M.S. CORE DIRECTOR
	Nirupa Sejpal Parmar is a child psychologist who specializes in child abuse. She works to make a difference. Nirupa joined Sahara Board in 2005. She hopes to make a difference to the children of Orangewood Children’s Home, where she has been working for the past 20 years. Nirupa provides psychotherapy to SAHARA’s under age clients. She is trained in “Coping with Domestic Violence” and delivers talks on women’s issues. Currently, she is on the verge of completing an exquisite cookbook, which celebrates cuisines known and unknown. All the proceeds from the book will be donated to the children of the world. With her expertise in graphics design Nirupa has created all of SAHARA’s marketing material and computer literacy programs.


MARIAM RASHID, B.A. RESOURCES AND FUNDRAISING
	Mariam Rashid, has the ability to mobilize resources, both human and capital, for a good cause. She has been an energetic and visionary personality in the banking industry earning Washington Mutual’s coveted “Production Club Award” every year for the past 13 years. Mariam served as co-President of the Pakistan Arts Council organizing and raising funds for the Pacific Asia Museum from 1997-1999. She served three terms as President of the Los Angeles Chapter of Developments in Literacy. Her passionate personality, excellent networking abilities and her perpetual readiness to help people are the key to being the most successful fundraising personality in the Los Angeles Pakistani-American community. Coast Line community college has awarded Mariam with Visionary Award.


ARCHANA JOSHI, MBA LIFE SKILLS TRAINING
	Archana Joshi is an Engineer and holds a Master’s in Business Administration. Archana is currently involved in Life Skills training program at SAHARA. She has passion for education and believes in empowering women through education. She is a proponent of preventing domestic violence in the community and is actively involved in support groups to help survivors of domestic violence.