Board of Directors
Gihan Fernando, Vice Chairman of Board of Directors
Gihan Fernando joined the Dakshina board after being inspired and moved by a number of the company’s performances. A native of Sri Lanka, Gihan grew up all over Africa before moving to the US to attend college. He is an assistant dean at Georgetown University Law Center, and recently served as President of the board of his professional association, NALP (the Association of Legal Career Professionals.) Gihan lives in Washington, DC, a city he has long considered home.
Thomas Gardner
Tom is a long time resident of Washington DC since 1982. When he retired from the real estate business in 2008, Tom spent a year living on a yacht in San Francisco where he became a big fan of the San Francisco Ballet. He also spent a summer studying modern dance when he was an undergraduate at Columbia. Prior to working in real estate, Tom was a professional percussionist and performed with and managed several rock bands, preferring to play for dancers. He also was actively involved in the concert promotion and artist management businesses. He recently discovered Dakshina, reviving an interest in dance he’s had since childhood and is glad to bring his balanced background in business and the arts to Dakshina’s team.
Paul Isakson, Chairman of Board of Directors
Paul Isakson joined Dakshina’s Board in the fall of 2008. He learned of Dakshina simply by attending several performances and being affected in a very positive way. After the Fall Festival show at the Lincoln Theatre, he offered to lend a hand and was invited to join the Board. Born and raised in North and South Dakota, Paul studied mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology near Boston, and then pursued his dream job as an automotive engineer at the Ford Motor Company. While there, he began to learn about Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) as well as Lean and Six Sigma, going on to become a certified Six Sigma Black Belt in 2000 and teaching these methods to fellow employees. Along the way, he fell in love with teaching. In 2001 he entered government service and helped found the Navy’s LeanSixSigma College, serving as it’s first lead instructor. Paul moved to DC in the fall of 2007 and continues to work for the Department of Defense as a Master Black Belt. Currently, his principle duties include teaching, facilitating teams, and strategizing how organizations can continually improve everything they do–all skills he hopes to use to help Dakshina focus, grow and excel even more.
Azza Mounib
Azza Mounib is a well-known native Egyptian dancer and instructor. She has been a central figure in Egyptian-American entertainment and has performed at international folk festivals in the Washington Metropolitan area for over 30 years. Her exceptional mix of traditional Egyptian dance and Oriental dancing has earned her impressive credentials in this art form. She continues to perform the traditional Egyptian dances at various festivals around the United States, and at cultural events such as the Ana Alarabi Festival, the Northern Virginia Folk Festival, the World Bank International Festival, the International Folk Festival, and the World’s Fair in Knoxville, TN. Azza wanted to be a part of Dakshina since she saw the group perform at the Fall Festival in Washington, D.C., in October 2008. She believes in presenting cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity to American audiences and does that through both her teaching and her performances. Azza feels that her commitment to Dakshina inspires change and celebrates the richness inherent in a multi-cultural society.
Ajay K. Ojha
Ajay K. Ojha, PhD currently works for the Department of Defense. In his spare time, Ajay teaches at the university and college level, is helping to build the foundation for the United States Public Service Academy and regularly volunteers in community service. Ajay graduated with a BA from The University of North Carolina, MA from Eastern Illinois University and PhD from Southern Illinois University. Ajay sits on various local, national and university affiliated boards. Ajay enjoys running on the National Mall, reading and international travel.
Deborah Rudolph
Deborah (Debbie) first met Daniel at Maryland Youth Ballet where she has taken dance and stretch classes her entire adult life. Debbie grew up in Pennsylvania and spent her academic years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate NY where she received degrees in nuclear chemistry. She calls the Washington area home since settling here to work for the federal government as a scientist at the U.S. State Department where she focuses specifically on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the developing world. Debbie values dance as a much needed balance to the technical aspects of her professional life. She appreciates the diversity that Dakshina brings to Washington culture, especially the focus on community outreach and social change which are key pillars in Dakshina’s mission. Besides dancing, Debbie is active with the Carter Center in Atlanta and enjoys international travel with her family.
Ron Rudolph
Ron’s father was a military doctor, so the family moved a lot and lived, when abroad, in Turkey, France and Japan. This gave Ron an early opportunity to experience new cultures and diversity, which is reflected to this day in his love of travel and the arts. Ron’s academic years brought him to Purdue University where he obtained degrees in nuclear engineering as well as an MBA. He has worked as an engineering consultant to the Department of Energy on a variety of projects from technical exchanges with developing countries to securing nuclear material in the former Soviet Union. At Maryland Youth Ballet, where he takes stretch classes, Ron met Daniel several years ago. He appreciates Daniel’s creativity and the social justice aspects of Dakshina. Ron enjoys running, biking and is looking forward to contributing to Dakshina in the business and strategy end of the company.
Daniel Phoenix Singh, President and Artistic Director
Daniel Phoenix Singh is the Artistic Director and President of Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company. Under his leadership, the company has won many awards and has become one of the leading companies in the DC area. Singh holds an MFA in Dance and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland. He also holds a Laban Movement Analyst Certificate from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York City. He received a baccalaureate degree in Dance and Computer Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Singh trained in Bharata Natyam with Guru Meena Telikicherla of Nrityanjali, Maryland for several years. Singh’s most recent explorations in dance include Cuban/Colombian variations of Salsa and Merengue with Javier Varela and Shawn Malone and he is currently studying Argentine Tango with Sharna Fabiano.
Krishnan Subramanian
Krishnan has been passionate about dance since his childhood days. He participated in a number of dance performances at cultural events in school and community events in Mumbai, India where he grew up. He comes from a traditional South Indian family that values arts; particularly Bharata Natyam and Carnatic vocal music. He is trained in Carnatic music singing which is strongly connected with Bharata Natyam. He has also learned Hindustani vocal music. He along with other members of Khush DC recently performed on a Bollywood style dance number at one of Khush DC’s social events which Daniel helped choreograph. Krishnan was very positively inspired when he attended one of Dakshina’s fall festival performances and watched Mallika Sarabai and other Dakshina members perform. He wanted to become part of Dakshina after that and joined the board in December of 2009. Krishnan is also currently serving the board of Khush DC, a local south asian LGBT association. Krishnan has been living in the DC area for 8 years and currently works for a Management and Technology consulting firm.