ST. PAUL, Minn. — It is with great pleasure that the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) announces the election of four new members to its board of directors. These individuals will provide leadership and guidance as the organization works to heal the wounds of torture and end torture worldwide.
“I’m delighted to announce the addition of these notable and distinguished new members to the CVT board, whose expertise and leadership are uniquely suited to this moment. CVT is in the process of taking on exciting new opportunities for strategic growth, and these individuals bring ideal strengths and experience,” said Julia Classen, board chair. “I’m looking forward to working with all of them; their outstanding knowledge and skills will be instrumental as CVT moves forward in our work to support survivors and human rights defenders.”
CVT is proud to welcome these new members:
Karthik Gunasekaran is the vice president of AI and Software Products at the Project Management Institute (PMI), where he leads the company’s AI transformation across product lines and development processes as well as building the company’s first Enterprise GenAI platform. With a focus on product and technology in higher education, Mr. Gunasekaran has held leadership roles at Udemy, Kaplan and ACT. He also serves on the board of Capella University advising the president on AI and other emerging technologies in education. He holds a Master’s degree in New Technology Applications in Education from The Johns Hopkins University, an MBA from The University of Iowa and a Bachelor’s in Engineering degree from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani.
Violeta Hernández Espinosa is a community development professional and consultant who currently serves as director of Early Childhood Initiatives at Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES), where she is leading the establishment and growth of programs and services to the youngest in our communities via the creation of a strong ecosystem for child care providers. Ms. Hernández Espinosa has extensive experience across private, public, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. She holds a Master’s of Development Practice in International Development from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Amanda McAllister Novak is special counsel at Kennedys Law, where she focuses her practice on complex and emerging privacy, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity matters. She advises clients on a wide range of security incidents, covering everything from ransomware attacks to regulatory inquiries. Ms. Novak holds a JD from the University of Minnesota and is completing a Master’s of Law in Cybercrime, Cybersecurity & Int’l Law. She also serves on the boards of World Without Genocide and The Raptor Center.
Debarati Sen is the chief commercial officer for Kingfisher plc. a leading European Home Improvement retailer and a FTSE 100 company. Prior to this, Ms. Sen was the CEO of HMTX Industries based out of Connecticut, and she spent a large part of her career prior to that at 3M Company in roles leading up to president for multiple divisions. Ms. Sen is known for driving transformative business performance through operating and financial expertise and a focus on futurizing businesses. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering and Electronics degree, and an MBA in Finance & Marketing. She is on boards of two public companies (Nortech Systems Inc. in Minnesota and Onesource Pharma in India) as well as on the senior advisory board of the Global Women’s Network, Carlson School of Management.
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The Center for Victims of Torture is a nonprofit organization with offices in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Uganda, United States and additional project sites around the world. Visit www.cvt.org
