Parveen Jain President & CEO Arihanta Institute
Parveen Jain, PhD is the founder, CEO and Chairman of Arihanta Institute, and the author of An Introduction to Jain Philosophy. He had an exciting career of over thirty years as founder and chief executive of multiple technology companies, and a senior executive role at McAfee, the cyber security company, and in 2014, he retired from active corporate life to devote his full time to philanthropic activities.
 
Parveen has always cherished philanthropy and has held leadership roles in various non-profit organizations. He has been a long-time trustee of the International Mahavira Jain Mission, where he has been deeply involved with the growth of Siddhachalam, the first Jain tīrtha outside of India, from its founding. He led the team to build the Jain Temple in the San Francisco Bay Area, has served as chairman and president of Jain Center of Northern California, and continues to be an active advisor. Previously, he was a founding director of the Sunnyvale Hindu Temple, served as a trustee of the American Foundation for the Blind, was a founding team member of the South Asian Heart Center, and served as a founding director of Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (Stanford-CARE).
 
Parveen is most passionate about furthering the initiatives inspired by Ācārya Sushil Kumar in the service of Jain tradition: promoting the message of nonviolence, creating Jain educational platforms, and applying Jain principles to everyday life among the growing global Jain community, for current and future generations.
 
Christopher Jain Miller Vice President of Academic Affairs, Professor of Jain & Yoga Studies Arihanta Institute
Christopher Jain Miller, the co-founder and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Arihanta Institute, completed his PhD in the Study of Religion at the University of California, Davis. He is Professor of Jain and Yoga Studies at Arihanta Institute, Visiting Researcher at the University of Zürich's Asien-Orient-Institut, and Professor of Engaged Jain Studies at Claremont School of Theology. Christopher's primary fields of research interest are Yoga Studies and Engaged Jain Studies, and he currently serves as the co-chair of the Yoga in Theory and Practice Unit at the American Academy of Religion as well as on the steering committees for the Dharma Academy of North America (DANAM) and the Yoga Darśana Yoga Sādhana conference. Christopher is the author of Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation (Routledge 2024) and the co-editor of Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Studies of Jain Social Engagement (SUNY 2025) as well as Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington 2020).
Melanie Barbato Lecturer RWTH Aachen University
Melanie Barbato is the author of Jain Approaches to Plurality: Identity as Dialogue (Brill) and the editor of Interreligious Dialogue and Diplomacy, a special issue of Cross Currents (UNC Press). She is a lecturer at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and coordinates the Network of Hinduism in Dialogue at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, UK.
Venu Mehta Assistant Professor Claremont School of Theology
Venu Mehta, an Assistant Professor of Jainism & Comparative Spiritualities at the Claremont School of Theology, specializes in Jainism with a primary focus on Jain regional-vernacular devotional literature, narratives, and practices. Her PhD dissertation investigates the devotion to the Jain goddess Padmāvatī among the Śvetāmbar Mūrtipūjak Jains in Gujarat. Additionally, her work explores the Jain concepts such as forgiveness and non-attachment. Her recent research also delves into Jain-Hindu comparative theologies/spiritualities, particularly regarding goddess traditions. Mehta was a Fulbright Fellow (FLTA) at Indiana University, Bloomington in 2010-11. Mehta has authored essay on Anekāntavāda: The Jaina Epistemology in the volume, Constructing the Pluriverse: The Geopolitics of Knowledge, published by Duke University Press, and an essay on Jainism, Ecology and Ethics in Ecocultural Ethics: Critical Essays, published by Lexington Books. She has authored a book, Learn Gujarati, A Resource – Book for Global Gujaratis, Beginner’s Level published by Charotar University of Science and Technology: India. Mehta earned her first doctorate in Multicultural Education and Literature from Sardar Patel University, India.
Yogendra Jain Author Jain Way of Life
Yogendra Jain is a technologist, serial entrepreneur, and a passionate practitioner of compassionate living. He is author of Jain Way of Life, a Guide to Compassionate, Healthy and Happy Living. He has done pioneering work in digital health/mental health, medical devices, telecom, IoT, and AI. Yogendra started his career at MIT Lincoln Labs in research before founding and operating several successful companies.

Yogendra, based in Boston, is a well-known figure across the US Jain community as an author, keynote speaker, and teacher. Yogendra was a Director, VP, and Secretary of JAINA (Jain Association of North America). He has developed groundbreaking seminars, including Ancient Scriptures Come Alive, Comparative Religion, Rebranding and Repackaging Religion, Discovery of the Soul, Strengthening of Faith, Meditation, Mind-Body-Soul, and Journey to Happiness and Equanimity.

He holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, a Master’s degree in EE from Rice Univ. and an MBA from Babson College.
Brian Philip Dunn Head of the History discipline Pasifika Communities University, Fiji
Dr. Brian Philip Dunn is Head of the History discipline at Pasifika Communities University, Fiji, and an external adjunct at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Canada.
Having lived in Zambia, Canada, the U.K., the U.S., and India, he brings extensive intercultural, ecumenical, and interreligious experience to his work. He holds an M.St. in the History of Religions and a D.Phil. in Comparative Theology, both from Oxford
University. His research focuses on the history of early and global Christianity, Classical Indian Buddhism, the Geography of Religions especially in the Himalayan region, and interfaith engagement. He is the author of A.J. Appasamy and His Reading of Rāmānuja: A Comparative Study in Divine Embodiment (Oxford University Press).
Leah Kalmanson Associate Professor University of North Texas
Leah Kalmanson is an associate professor and the Bhagwan Adinath Professor of Jain Studies at the University of North Texas. Her books include Local Gods: A Philosophy of Spiritual Diversity (Columbia, 2026), Cross-Cultural Existentialism (Bloomsbury, 2020) and, co-authored with Monika Kirloskar-Steinbach, A Practical Guide to World Philosophies (Bloomsbury, 2021).
Tracy Tiemeier Professor Loyola Marymount University
Tracy Sayuki Tiemeier is Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. She specializes in comparative theology and interreligious dialogue, with a focus on the intersections, multiplicities, and ambiguities of religion, gender, race, ethnicity, and power. Her publications include dozens of articles and essays, as well as two co-edited book volumes: “Why We Can’t Wait”: Racism and the Church (Orbis, 2023) and Interreligious Friendship after Nostra Aetate (Palgrave, 2015). Tracy is vice president of Feminist Studies in Religion, Inc.
Elif Emirahmetoğlu Research Fellow University of Bonn
Elif Emirahmetoğlu is a research fellow at the International Center for Comparative Theology and Social Issues, University of Bonn. She completed her doctoral dissertation, entitled A Comparative Analysis of the Concept of Human Being in Ibn al-‘Arabī and Shinran Shōnin, at the University of Münster in 2024. Her recent publications include “The Human Self and Personhood in Akbarīan Sufism and Chinese Buddhism: A Comparative Analysis of the Concepts of the Muḥammadan Reality and Buddha- Nature,” in Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society (vol. 76, 2024), “The Transformation of the Human Self through Religious Practice in Sufism and Buddhism,” in Journal of Islamic and Muslim Studies (vol. 7.1, 2022) and “Ibn al-‘Arabī and Shinran Shonin on Invocation and Realization,” in Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society (vol. 70, 2021).
Alan Brill Cooperman/Ross Endowed Chair Seton Hall University
Rabbi Prof. Alan Brill is the Cooperman/Ross Endowed Chair for Jewish-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University. Alan Brill specializes in interfaith theology, mysticism, Kabbalah, Jewish thought, and comparative theology. He is the author of many books including Judaism and World Religions: Christianity, Islam, and Eastern Religions (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), and Judaism and Other Religions: Models of Understanding (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010).
Jonathan Dickstein Assistant Professor Arihanta Institute
Jonathan Dickstein is the Tirthankara Shreyansanath Endowed Assistant Professor of Jain and Vegan Studies at Arihanta Institute. He received a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2022. Jonathan's areas of research include Jain Studies, religion and ecology, comparative ethics, and South Asian religions.
Jeffery D. Long Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies Elizabethtown College

Dr. Jeffery D. Long is the Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College, in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, where he has taught since receiving his PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School in the year 2000. He is the author, editor, or co-editor of twelve books, including Hinduism in America: A Convergence of Worlds, which won the Rajinder and Jyoti Gandhi Award for Excellence in Theology, Philosophy, and Critical Reflection from the Dharma Academy of North America in 2022. His latest book is Discovering Indian Philosophy: An Introduction to Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Thought. His work focuses primarily on the religions and philosophies of India, mainly the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions, and on such themes as nonviolence, pluralism and its metaphysical foundations, the pedagogy of teaching Indic traditions in a Western context, religion and popular culture, and the concept of rebirth. In 2021, he received an award from the International Ahimsa Foundation for his efforts to promote nonviolence through scholarship. In the same year, he received the Ranck Award for Research Excellence from Elizabethtown College. He has spoken three times at the United Nations and appears in documentaries for PBS and the History Channel.

Anil Mundra Assistant Professor University of California, Santa Barbara
Anil Mundra is the Bhagvan Vimalnath Assistant Professor of Jain Studies and South Asian Religions in the Department of Religious Studies of the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was previously the Alka Siddhartha Dalal Postdoctoral Fellow for the study of Jainism at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. His research focuses on how South Asian philosophers navigate religious diversity, especially in Sanskrit texts on the classical Jain theory of non-one-sidedness (anekāntavāda).
Ankith Desai MA - Engaged Jain Studies Graduate Student
Ankith, originally from Southern California, is an MA student at Arihanta Institute in the Engaged Jain Studies program. He earned his Bachelor's from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Political Science and Urban Planning. Ankith was drawn to engaged Jain studies when he opted to do his undergraduate research thesis in his senior year in the intersection of Jainism and social justice as it pertains to political issues. Ankith's background is in politics, having worked in the White House, the Democratic Party, and multiple politically-oriented think tanks and nonprofits. Ankith has also been involved in Young Jains of America (YJA) for many years and has served on the executive board of YJA as well.
Riya Parekh Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Riya is a proud California native who grew up going to the Jain Center of Northern California. She is currently a senior at Cal Poly SLO pursuing a degree in Political Science. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, eating Gujarati food, and watching reality TV. Since attending her first retreat, Riya has found so many incredible people through YJA and is excited to help continue growing this community. Feel free to reach out to her at communityrelations@yja.org with any questions, feedback, or ideas!
Rihi Jain Director of Education Young Jains of America
A New Jersey native, Rihi Jain currently serves as the YJA Director of Education. In this role, she has a vision to integrate applied seva into learning and make Jain education engaging and accessible for all youth. She has spent many years contributing to Jain educational initiatives, by building YJA Pathshala modules and writing pieces for Young Minds. A storyteller at heart, Rihi is passionate about bringing people of different faiths together, and highlighting the ways our paths overlap with seemingly different people.

Rihi is currently attending medical school in New York. In her free time, she enjoys dancing and outdoor adventures! Reach out to her at education@yja.org with any ideas or questions!
Ishya Jain Team Lead Seva Project
Ishya is from Dallas, Texas and is currently a Seva Project Team Lead. She is a freshman at Georgetown University studying International Economics in the School of Foreign Service. With YJA, she has helped organize service projects at regional retreats and a Seva Retreat in Washington, DC. Ishya is passionate about civic engagement and global development. In her free time, she enjoys baking and watching rom-coms, and is on the hunt for the best almond croissant!
Sahana Mehta Director of Donor Organizing Liberation Ventures
Sahana Mehta (she/her) is the Director of Donor Organizing at Liberation Ventures, an organization dedicated to advancing reparations for the harms of slavery and its legacies, and to creating a culture of repair in the US. Before joining Liberation Ventures, Sahana spent three years organizing young people with wealth towards the equitable redistribution of land, wealth, and power at Resource Generation.
 
Sahana has spent several years organizing in the South Asian diaspora, focused on issues ranging from caste equity to gender justice. She is one of the creators of the archives for Andolan Organizing South Asian Workers, a domestic worker-led organization in NYC, and is a proud board member of the Asian Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project in the DC area.
Arpit Mehta Co-Founder & CEO of Data Intellect (DI) Director of Bioinformatics at NW Cancer Hospital New York
Dr. Arpit Mehta, an Advisory Board Member for Arihanta Institute, is CEO and Co Founder of Data Intellect, Director of Bioinformatics at Northwell Health. He earned his PhD in computer science at Florida International University. He has over 20 publications in the field of Genomics, notably in Cancer and Covid-19 research. His research interest expands to application of Artificial intelligence in Genomics and Microbiome research.

Arpit is currently on the advisory board of Young Jain Professionals (YJP) and has served on executive board of Young Jains of America(YJA), YJP and Jain Education Research Foundation (JERF). He has been a member of Jain Center of South Florida for over a decade. During JAINA and YJA conventions, Arpit has given sessions on "Jainism and Science" and is highly motivated to understand concepts of Jainism in modern perspective. His hobbies include Hiking, Cricket, Meditation and Traveling.
Mannan Mehta Senior Risk Consultant Fordham University School of Law
Jai Jinendra! Mannan Mehta is a senior risk consultant at EY LLP and an aspiring lawyer currently pursuing a J.D. at Fordham University School of Law. He also serves as Co-Chair of Young Jain Professionals, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting networking, seva, and spirituality among Jain working professionals in North America. Based in New York City, Mannan enjoys staying active, reading, learning, and meeting new people. He is also an avid Formula 1 fan. You can reach him at mannan.mehta@yjp.jaina.org.
Sheenika Shah Gandhi Chief Marketing Officer Greenberg Glusker
Sheenika S. Gandhi is the Chief Marketing Officer at Greenberg Glusker. She leads the firm’s marketing and business development strategy, lateral partner recruiting, and corporate social responsibility initiatives. She oversees a high-performing team responsible for sponsorships, events, communications, public relations, rankings and recognition, digital marketing, marketing technology, business development, and client service. Sheenika is currently the President-Elect of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) West Region, following two years on the International Board of Directors. She has also previously served as Co-Chair for all three youth-focused organizations within Federation of Jain Associations of North America (JAINA): Young Jains of America, Young Jain Professionals, and Jain Connect. Sheenika is a licensed California attorney. She earned her J.D. from California Western School of Law and double bachelors degrees in International Relations and Business Administration from the University of San Diego.
Priyanka Choradia Jeweler and Founder D’ Deco Jewels
Priyanka Chordia is a seventh-generation jeweler and founder of D’ Deco Jewels, with training from the Fashion Institute of Technology and gem programs at the Gemological Institute of America. She applies the Jain principle of Anekāntavāda by seeing every situation through multiple perspectives—whether she’s understanding a customer’s story and priorities, or navigating with vendors and retailers when quality or sourcing issues arise. By holding each viewpoint with respect and clarity, she builds trust, strengthens long-term relationships, and finds solutions that feel fair, practical, and lasting for everyone involved.
Amit Lodha Associate Director of AI/ML
Amit Lodha is an Associate Director of AI/ML who builds AI products and multi-agent systems that help users solve real, messy problems. He brings the Jain principle of Anekāntavāda into his work by designing agents that seek the full context behind a request—and by training his team to approach user problems from multiple viewpoints before jumping to solutions. In practice, this shapes how prompts and agent behaviors are written so the system clarifies goals, surfaces constraints, reflects user concerns, and delivers outcomes that feel accurate, trustworthy, and genuinely aligned to the user’s situation.
Moh Mookim Staff Attorney Sustainable Economies Law Center
Moh Mookim (they/them) has worked in economic justice and land redistribution movements for seven years. Currently, Moh is a staff attorney at the Sustainable Economies Law Center and a donor organizer at Resource Generation. In both roles, they help bring resources and support to poor-people led movements. Moh was raised in a big Jain family in New Jersey, and Jainism deeply shaped their dedication to social justice. They studied philosophy and law at Stanford University, and have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over a decade.
Anjli Shah Program Officer One Project
Anjli Shah (she/her) is a Program Officer, Philanthropic Partnerships at One Project, a nonprofit committed to nurturing a just transition to a regenerative, democratic economy, where she helps develop grantee cohort programming and organize donors interested in shifting wealth and power to communities. Her work at the International Rescue Committee, Prevention Research Center, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have shaped her commitment to philanthropy that is accountable to social movements, and to a world beyond philanthropy. Grounded in the Jain axiom “Parasparopagraho jivanam” (“All life is bound together by mutual support & interdependence”), Anjli co-founded and led Jains for Justice, an informal collective that organized the Jain community around racial justice, gender justice, and civic engagement between 2019-2020. She is a former board member of the South Asian American Digital Archive. Anjli holds a BA in Neurobiology from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University, and is currently based in Los Angeles.