Meet the Team
The current members of the Board of Directors of KEY International Foundation are Dr. Cynthianna Hahn, Ms. Georgia Gebhardt, Ms. Kathyrn Mikel, Mr. Tejas Batavia, Mr. Quasar Hamirani, and Dr. Bala Batavia,
Dr. Cynthianna Hahn has her Ph.D. in social work and is retired. In the mid 1960s she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, where she lived and worked in a low-income community. Since then she has worked as a social worker in a variety of jobs in hospitals and social agencies. From 1979 to 2006, she was a social worker in the Chicago Public Schools. She worked with students who came from low-income families and who had problems such as learning disabilities, and emotional or behavioral problems. She has taught part-time in the graduate program in social work at the University of Chicago. She has also traveled to India, Central and South America, Africa and Europe. She is the President of KEY International Foundation.
Email address: cynch42@gmail.com Phone: 312-412-0121
Ms. Georgia Gebhardt has earned degrees in international affairs and liberal studies. For the past thirty-three years she has taught intermediate students in the Glenview Public Schools. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she has been involved in education reform, first helping to create a clinical teacher training program in partnership with DePaul University, and then serving as a mentor teacher to the interns and residents. Serving on the Key International Board is a welcome opportunity to combine two seemingly disparate interests in education and international affairs. She is the Vice-President and Secretary of KEY International Foundation.
Email address: gtgebhardt@comcast.net Phone: 847-853-8225
Ms. Kathryn Mikel is retired from the field of social services. She worked in child protective services for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for 20 years, the last seven years as supervisor of a team of child protective investigators. Subsequent to her retirement, Kathryn worked in various law firms and for the City of Chicago City Clerk’s office for several years. She has done volunteer work for Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly, Centro Romero, Albany Park Community Center, Lake View Pantry, Jane Addams Resource Corporation, and others.
Email address: kathyrnmikel@yahoo.com Phone: 773-929-2958
Mr. Tejas Batavia currently works as a Senior Project Manager at Airbnb in San Francisco, Ca. He was a Director of Compliance in the Education industry and has had various roles in the industry since 2003. He grew up in India but has lived in the U.S since 1998. He has always wanted to give back to his native country. Serving on the board of KEY International gives him an opportunity to help improve the access of education for poor children in India. He is the Treasurer of KEY International Foundation.
Email address: bataviatejas@gmail.com Phone: 773-350-2227
Mr. Quasar Hamirani is a cross-functional and goal driven individual with extensive international leadership experience in human resources, project management, strategy & operations, organizational transformations and systems. He currently serves as a Global Head of People Operations at Airbnb, San Francisco, CA.
Email address: q@goquali.com Phone: 312-608-0814
Dr. Bala Batavia is a Professor of Economics at DePaul University since 1976, and has been the prime motivator in the starting of this Foundation. He grew up in India but has lived in the U.S. since 1967 and has been a naturalized U. S. citizen since 1981. He has traveled widely throughout India and many other developing nations. After observing the widespread poverty and deprivation in these countries, he and several of his friends were motivated to help the impoverished children and their families in developing countries through this Foundation.
Email address: bbatavia@depaul.edu Phone: 312-337-4163
Mrs. Priti Patel graduated from the University of Illinois with a major in Finance and focus in Computer Science. After working in the Information Technology field for 10 years she decided to stay home to raise her 3 sons. She has volunteered her time and resources to many organizations including Chicago Cares and Apna Ghar and feels a strong connection to helping children fulfill their potential.
Email address: ppatel79@gmail.com Phone: 847-757-1347
Dr. Cynthianna Hahn has her Ph.D. in social work and is retired. In the mid 1960s she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, where she lived and worked in a low-income community. Since then she has worked as a social worker in a variety of jobs in hospitals and social agencies. From 1979 to 2006, she was a social worker in the Chicago Public Schools. She worked with students who came from low-income families and who had problems such as learning disabilities, and emotional or behavioral problems. She has taught part-time in the graduate program in social work at the University of Chicago. She has also traveled to India, Central and South America, Africa and Europe. She is the President of KEY International Foundation.
Email address: cynch42@gmail.com Phone: 312-412-0121
Ms. Georgia Gebhardt has earned degrees in international affairs and liberal studies. For the past thirty-three years she has taught intermediate students in the Glenview Public Schools. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she has been involved in education reform, first helping to create a clinical teacher training program in partnership with DePaul University, and then serving as a mentor teacher to the interns and residents. Serving on the Key International Board is a welcome opportunity to combine two seemingly disparate interests in education and international affairs. She is the Vice-President and Secretary of KEY International Foundation.
Email address: gtgebhardt@comcast.net Phone: 847-853-8225
Ms. Kathryn Mikel is retired from the field of social services. She worked in child protective services for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for 20 years, the last seven years as supervisor of a team of child protective investigators. Subsequent to her retirement, Kathryn worked in various law firms and for the City of Chicago City Clerk’s office for several years. She has done volunteer work for Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly, Centro Romero, Albany Park Community Center, Lake View Pantry, Jane Addams Resource Corporation, and others.
Email address: kathyrnmikel@yahoo.com Phone: 773-929-2958
Mr. Tejas Batavia currently works as a Senior Project Manager at Airbnb in San Francisco, Ca. He was a Director of Compliance in the Education industry and has had various roles in the industry since 2003. He grew up in India but has lived in the U.S since 1998. He has always wanted to give back to his native country. Serving on the board of KEY International gives him an opportunity to help improve the access of education for poor children in India. He is the Treasurer of KEY International Foundation.
Email address: bataviatejas@gmail.com Phone: 773-350-2227
Mr. Quasar Hamirani is a cross-functional and goal driven individual with extensive international leadership experience in human resources, project management, strategy & operations, organizational transformations and systems. He currently serves as a Global Head of People Operations at Airbnb, San Francisco, CA.
Email address: q@goquali.com Phone: 312-608-0814
Dr. Bala Batavia is a Professor of Economics at DePaul University since 1976, and has been the prime motivator in the starting of this Foundation. He grew up in India but has lived in the U.S. since 1967 and has been a naturalized U. S. citizen since 1981. He has traveled widely throughout India and many other developing nations. After observing the widespread poverty and deprivation in these countries, he and several of his friends were motivated to help the impoverished children and their families in developing countries through this Foundation.
Email address: bbatavia@depaul.edu Phone: 312-337-4163
Mrs. Priti Patel graduated from the University of Illinois with a major in Finance and focus in Computer Science. After working in the Information Technology field for 10 years she decided to stay home to raise her 3 sons. She has volunteered her time and resources to many organizations including Chicago Cares and Apna Ghar and feels a strong connection to helping children fulfill their potential.
Email address: ppatel79@gmail.com Phone: 847-757-1347