Board Members
Ms. Neeta Kene, Founder and President
Ms. Neeta Kene, the Founder and the President of Kinnar Asmita, is a transactivist working for the rights and the welfare of the transgender community members since last 2 decades. Under her visionary leadership, the organization actively collaborates with government departments, private sector partners and global funding agencies to address the varied needs of the community. She is also a member of the Maharashtra Transgender Takrar Samiti, contributing through advocacy and state level decision making for transgender rights and welfare. Ms. Neeta is an inspiring and committed leader, honored with the ‘Savidhan Puraskar’ by the Thane Collector Office for Best Social Work and with the National Transgender Award from Pathbreaker, presented by Shri Laxminarayan Tripathi.
Ms. Zainab Patel, Vice President
Ms. Zainab, the Vice President of Kinnar Asmita, holds an MBA in HR and has a rich experience of working in the development sector on health and human rights. She has worked as the National Manager for Health and Human Rights at UNDP country office in India and as a regional policy analyst on human rights in Asia. Ms. Zainab has also worked as a Director for Diversity and Inclusion at KPMG. Currently, she works with Pernod Ricard India as the Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer. Ms. Zainab is one of the petitioners in the National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India case on transgender rights and in the marriage equality case. She is a Kamalnayan Bajaj Aspen Global Fellow and also serves on the national advisory committee of the election commission of India.
Ms. Shankri Kene, Secretary
Ms. Shankri, a post graduate in Social Entrepreneurship from NMIMS, is an expert in program management, communications and diversity and inclusion. She has more than a decade of experience of working with CBOs, Government agencies, UN, INGOs and private sector in South Asia, focusing on diverse programs related to the rights and health of the community.
Ms. Aparna Sheikh, Treasurer
Treasurer:- Ms. Aparna Shaikh:- Aparna Shaikh Join Kinnar Asmita As Secretary from 2010. she is good Community leader.
Ms. Badiya Qureshi, Board Member
Ms. Badiya is an active trans leader and very popular among the trans community and other stakeholders. She has more than 8 years of experience working on HIV projects, supported by GFATM and NACO. She has strengthened the advocacy component by effectively highlighting the issues of the community. Ms. Badiya also works on economic empowerment of the community by facilitating opportunities for mainstream employment and enterprises.
Ms. Dilbara Kene, Board Member
Ms. Dilbara Kene is an active transgender leader, highly respected within the community and among key stakeholders. She brings over 10 years of experience, working on HIV and advocacy interventions supported by GFATM, NACO, and the private sector. Known for her strong communication skills, she is an effective advocator of transgender rights. Ms. Dilbara also supports with the integration of inclusive business ideas into mainstream development initiatives.
Mr. Vinod Chavan, Board Member
Mr. Vinod has been associated with Kinnar Asmita for over a decade and has contributed significantly to empowering the community by effectively leading the HIV TI interventions, skill building initiatives and access to social entitlements. He has played an important role in the development of social enterprise – The Transformation Salon, though his resource mobilization and stakeholder management skills. Mr. Vinod shares an excellent rapport with the community and is committed to the mobilization and empowerment of the community.