Our Team
Our diverse team collaborates with founders to accelerate the success of science & technology innovation for impact on our planet.
Founder & CEO
Rohit Shukla
Chief Strategy Officer
Carlos Gutierrez
Chief of Staff
Hilary Bendon
Head of Operations
Judy Hsieh
Head of Programs & Evaluation
Vaishali Paliwal
Director, CleanTech & Energy
David Berokoff
Controller
William Yu
Director, Information Services & Software Architect
Nickolay Kolev
Senior Manager, Venture Studio (Fellows Program)
Christina Lila Wilson
Senior Manager, Innovation: Brand, Marketing & Communications
Julie Mai
Operations Manager
Cindy Rodriguez Mora
Program Manager
Kaitlyn Nguyen
Program Manager
Tobias Varntoft
Program Operations Associate
Hannah Nguyen
Program Operations Associate
Troy Nueva
Program Operations Associate
Kacee Doan
Program Operations Associate
Vlad Kozyrev
Program Operations Associate
Leslie Huang
Brand, Marketing, & Communications Associate
Danielle Pachuta
Business Analyst
Pelin Oner
Senior Advisor, Sustainability
Gunjan Siroya
Senior Advisor, Marketing
Jermaine Reid
Senior Fellow, Sustainable Innovation
Lewis D. Rowe
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Larta Institute is committted to providing an accessible, safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for all.
Our Anti-Discrimination Policy aims to ensure that all members of Larta Institute community – including our staff, startup founders, mentors, government officials, industry executives, investors, speakers, sponsors, donors, advisory board members, and other community members – are treated with dignity and respect in an open culture that is free of harassment, discrimination, violence, and other inappropriate conduct.
Larta Institute is committed to diversity, equitable access, and inclusion.
Our Board of Directors
Founder and CEO
Rohit Shukla
Chairman of the Board
Robert Ashley
Board Member
Timothy J. Cooley
Board Member
Elliot Gordon
Board Member
Shezad Rokerya
Board Member
Caprice Young, Ed.D
Our Fellows
Distinguished Fellow
Maria Contreras-Sweet
Distinguished Fellow
Phillip A. Singerman, PhD
Our team of 125+ expert Mentors & Principal Advisors.
Our programs are led by seasoned industry experts with deep sector knowledge. Each startup is assigned a dedicated Principal Advisor to guide their journey from idea to sustainable enterprise.
Principal Advisor
Kwame Ulmer
Principal Advisor
Sydney Edwards
Principal Advisor
LeAnne C. Tourtellotte
Principal Advisor
Sunil Maulik
Principal Advisor
David Whelan
Principal Advisor
Olga Yermolenko
Principal Advisor
Rachel Costello
