Dr. Debasis Mohapatra, President
Dr. Debasish Mohapatra holds a PhD in Rural Management from KIIT Deemed to be University in Bhubaneswar. He also has a PGDRM from XIM Bhubaneswar and a B.Sc. in Agriculture from OUAT, Bhubaneswar. With over 30 years of work experience, he has collaborated with various international agencies such as The World Bank, UNDP, TechnoServe, Traidcraft, IPE Global, Oxfam GB, CARE, MART, as well as government projects and institutions like OLM, JSLPS, UPSRLM, and BAGRI. Currently, Dr. Mohapatra serves as an Associate Professor of Practice at KIIT School of Rural Management. His teaching interests encompass sustainable development, natural resource management, agribusiness management, and entrepreneurship.
Ms. Itishree Kanungo, Vice President
Ms. Itishree Kanungo, has done her MBA-RM from XIMB; possesses over 20 years of experience in policy advocacy, action research, livelihood planning, microcredit management, capacity building, and leading social campaigns. She began her career as a Research Consultant for Taru Leading Edge Private Limited and has since been associated with organizations such as UNDP, NISER, Voluntary Health Association of India, Climate Parliament, and Grant Thornton. Currently, she is professionally engaged with Grant Thornton, where she actively contributes as a member of Climate Parliament, working closely with State Assembly and Parliament members to strengthen renewable energy policy and financing.
Ms. Rojaleen Bhuyan, Secretary
Ms. Rojaleen Bhuyan is a highly experienced Development Practitioner with over two decades of expertise in livelihood promotion and gender relations. She has demonstrated her proficiency in strengthening grassroots institutions such as Producer Groups, SHG Federations, and FPOs, and is an active member of the National Alliance of Women in Odisha (NAWO). With her extensive contributions to gender equality, inclusion, and mainstreaming in various projects, Ms. Bhuyan has collaborated with renowned NGOs, leveraging her skills to empower marginalized communities.
Mr. Jyoti Ranjan Mohapatra, Joint Secretary
Mr. Mohapatra, an industry veteran and development sector enthusiast, has been at the forefront of shaping the re-organisation and institutional strengthening of Mahashakti as well as the entities that came into picture to address the industry demands and regulatory developments. Mr. Mohapatra has very closely witnessed the crests and troughs of microfinance & development sector, hence beside handling the portfolio analysis and finance mobilisation parts, he constantly motivates the team to stay rejuvenated and give the best in order to take the organisation to greater heights. Mr. Mohapatra holds an M.Com degree and pursued ICWAI.
Mr. Bimal Kanta Panda, Treasurer
Mr. Panda holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Jyoti Vihar, Sambalpur University. Throughout his more than 2 decades long work history he has designed numerous theme-based training modules for different non-profit organisations. Most part of his working tenure has been spent in the backward regions of the state and he devoted his time and energy towards the capacity building of NGO functionaries and project managers. While mixing his prior engagements and years long training expertise, he is leading the training department of Mahashakti and designs training modules as per the operational methodology and related regulatory requirements of the development sector.
Dr. Pradip Kumar Mohapatra, Member
Dr. Mohapatra brings an extensive 33 years of experience in the development sector, holding various positions in managing projects and programs across India. He has demonstrated his exceptional skills in effectively coordinating Civil Society Organizations, Government Agencies, corporate entities through CSR initiatives and International Institutions for the successful execution of development projects. Additionally, he possesses significant expertise in the microfinance sector. Dr. Mohapatra’s areas of specialization encompass Institutional Development, Income Generation, Enterprise Development, Livelihood Promotion, Program Management, Action Research, Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation, and Capacity Building.
Mr. Prakash Chandra Sahu, Member
Mr. Sahu, one of the Co-founders, has tremendously contributed towards building a core team for the organisation in the last 2 decade or so. He has more than 3 decades of strong working history in the field of community mobilisation, livelihood promotion and microcredit operations. His long association with the development sector began way back in 1990 where he worked in the National Literacy Program in Kalahandi district. Currently he is devoting his time in consulting in the leadership development of community based institutions.