Leena Paramanandam, Author at TAGDV - Tamil Association of Greater Delaware Valley

Thank you! – Executive Committee – End of Term Updates

Thank you - Executive Committee 2022-2023 Thank you!To our beloved and respected General Body - The TAGDV Executive Committee team of 2022-2023 give our heartfelt thanks for giving us an opportunity to serve TAGDV. As we all wrap up 2023 with a lot to be thankful for and to rejoice in, we would like to share a snapshot of the activities, events, key accomplishments and membership status.We wish the incoming team all the very best and wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year 2024!

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-12-31T21:13:28-05:00December 31st, 2023|event, General|0 Comments

Board of Trustees – Results of the Referendum

Results of the referendum - Board of Trustees Results The voice of the General Body has been heard. 430 of you voiced your opinion. Thank you all for taking the time to exercise your right. We have four open positions and four candidates. Election Committee certifies the addition of Messrs. Baskar Chinnusamy, Suresh Paramasivam, Siva Prasath, Vijay Selvaraj to the new Board of Trustees for a period of four years effective January 1st, 2024. Please join us in congratulating them and offering a warm welcome to the Board. We ask everyone to respect the voice of the General Body. TAGDV is home away from home where everyone is welcome and lasting memories are made. Volunteering for TAGDV is an honor to help everyone to feel at home. Maintaining peace and unity, Tamil Education, culture and arts helps our children to cherish our values. All of us who are genuinely interested in the welfare of TAGDV should put all the bitterness behind us and work as one big family going forward. Let us learn proper lessons from our mistakes to make ourselves and our association better. Results of the referendum can be found using this link. Election Committee thanks TAGDV for this opportunity to serve.

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-12-08T21:58:33-05:00December 8th, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Updates from the Election Committee

Updates from the TAGDV Election Committee (Following content was emailed to the eligible voters of the Nov 1-4 2023 elections)Request to the General Body to whom the Election Committee reports to:Please review the report from the Fact-Finding Committee that was made available to the General Body earlier. The Election Committee would like to ensure that the General Body is fully aware of the new information and the feedback that FFC provided and seeks to validate the suitability of these Board candidates against whom complaints have been filed. The Election Committee asks the General Body to vote Yes or No for each of these candidates on the following question:‘Do you believe this individual is qualified to contest as a candidate for the Board of TAGDV?’We are giving a one-week deadline from today to the joint Board-Executive Committee for the validation process to be completed by the General Body. The Election Committee will assist with the online voting logistics.Click here for the FAQ on polling and the polling schedule.and the proposed schedule. Please note we will continue to update the FAQ section. We are also asking the candidates to provide their own feedback on the FFC report which will be added to the FAQ.Background information:The Election Committee depended on the Joint Board - Executive committee to validate the eligibility of the Board candidates. The Election Committee was not aware of any background. The damaging background of one of the candidates (not sharing financial documents needed for tax filing) was brought up during the campaign period. We understood these accusations had emerged earlier in 2021. We also understood that they surfaced with an email communication on April 11, 2022, during the tax filing period.The Election Committee asked the Board to initiate legal consultation and the associated DUE PROCESS of the Board candidates against whom complaints were filed. We gave two weeks to complete the process and delayed announcing the Board Results.Subsequently, the Board appointed a Fact-Finding Committee of Past Presidents to examine the allegations submitted to the Election Committee. As FFC progressed, FFC requested documents from two of the candidates: one was submitted within a day, while the other never submitted. Thus, the Board requested an additional week’s time. Therefore, we extended the deadline by another week and notified the Board candidates on November 18, 2023.The Fact-Finding Committee has reported that offenses have been committed, including a very serious one. This report has been shared with the General Body by the Board of Trustees.With the new information that has emerged, and following the legal opinion given, the Election Committee is unable to announce the earlier polling results. Let me refer you to TAGDV Bylaws:TAGDV ByLaw:6.7 Once the Election Committee is formed, the Election Committee shall act as an independent autonomous body without the influence of anyone in the Association. The Election committee shall have full rights and authority to make effective decisions during the election period in the best interest of the Association. They shall have access to a mechanism or process to communicate directly with the [...]

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-12-05T21:21:23-05:00December 1st, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Deepavali Holiday Event 2023 – Visual Highlights

Deepavali Holiday Event - Visual Highlights An important information from the Election Committee was emailed to the 2023 eligible voters on Dec 01 2023. Click here for update from the Election Committee - Dated Dec 01 2023. Click here to access the latest Election FAQ document - Dated Dec 05 2023. An important information from the Election Committee was emailed to the 2023 eligible voters on Dec 01 2023. Click here for update from the Election Committee - Dated Dec 01 2023. Click here to access the latest Election FAQ document - Dated Dec 05 2023.

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-12-08T22:09:43-05:00November 21st, 2023|event, General|0 Comments

Election Results for Executive Committee 2024-2025

IMPORTANT RESPONSE FROM THE ELECTION COMMITTEE CHAIR (11/07/2023)There are few emails requesting the release of Board results. The Election Committee would like to provide the following response.The current President has expressed his concern for the excess and illegal activities of some of the Board candidates. The Election Committee sought guidance from the Board because bylaws require any legal opinion can only be obtained by the Board. I wish to note that the Election Committee is not authorized to seek legal guidance. May I refer you to our Bylaws:5.1.1.3. The Board shall be responsible for all legal aspects of the Association. The Board sought legal opinion and the guidance received was not to announce the election results pending investigation. The Board has informed that they will undertake and manage the investigation and the associated DUE PROCESS.We have already communicated that ‘The results will be opened by the Secretary in my presence and that of the two Senior leaders of TAGDV, Dr. Ramachandran Sivakumar and Prof. Raj Mutharasan.' No one else, including the other two Election Committee members and the Board/EC were exposed to any of the polling data. The other two Election Committee members and the Board/EC were only informed of the results contemporaneously with the general membership.The Board results will be released in two weeks. There will be no further response from the Election Committee on the issue of announcement of Board results.Regards,T. JustinChair, Election Committee 2023 Election Results for Executive Committee 2024-2025 (11/06/2023)The results for the Elections were opened by the Secretary Mrs. Leena Paramanandam in my presence and that of the two Senior leaders of TAGDV, Dr. Ramachandran Sivakumar and Prof. Raj Mutharasan.Per my earlier communication, the results of the Board are being withheld for two weeks pending investigation.It has been an honor to serve in the Election Committee and all three of us thank TAGDV for this great opportunity.Congratulations and best wishes to the elected candidates.Regards,T. JustinChair - Election Committee 2023 Vice President / துணைத் தலைவர்****************************************** Saravanan Krishnan சரவணன் கிருஷ்ணன் wins with 56.30% of the vote. Treasurer / பொருளாளர்********************************* Shakthiprian Shanmugam Ramakrishnan / சக்திப்ரியன் சண்முகம் ராமகிருஷ்ணன் wins with 51.61% of the vote. EC - Member at Large / செயற்குழு உறுப்பினர்****************************************************** Bhuvaneshwari Natarajan Gunasekaranபுவனேஸ்வரி நடராஜன் குணசேகரன்win with 17.93% Thamilinian S Kதமிழினியன்win with 17.49%Vasudevan Varadharajanவாசுதேவன் வரதராஜன்win with 16.87% Periyasamy Kanagarajபெரியசாமி கனகராஜ்win with 16.70%Karthik Sundaramகார்த்திக் சுந்தரம்win with 16.03%

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-11-07T06:36:57-05:00November 5th, 2023|event, General|0 Comments

Statement from the Election Committee 2023

Attn: TAGDV Board of Trustees: The Election Committee just met and discussed the issue of legal advice. Please note: Per bylaws: 5.1.1.3. The Board shall be responsible for all legal aspects of the Association. 6.4. Election is to be conducted by an Election Committee of three members, of whom one shall not be a member of the Executive Committee or the Board. One of them will be the Chairperson. The Election Committee is responsible for receiving nominations, verifying eligibility of nominees and conduct of the elections. Nominations shall be in writing, which shall include a statement of the nominee’s willingness to serve and the signature of the proposer. Members of the Election Committee shall not contest in the election. A member of the Association shall not contest for more than one position on the Executive Committee or the Board in a given year. The deadline for closure of nomination shall be one week prior to the Election Day and the deadline for withdrawal of nomination shall be three days prior to the scheduled election. Floor nomination for a position on the Executive Committee or the Board shall be admissible only in the absence of a nomination for that position. It is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee to determine eligibility of candidates such as membership requirements. If any legal opinion is sought, it is the sole responsibility of the Board, to initiate and get such legal opinion. If such an investigation is initiated prior to announcing the results, the Election Committee will withhold any election results till there is additional clarity. Since the Election Committee received a detailed complaint from the President of the organization, it is imperative that the Board takes appropriate action including seeking legal opinions. Election Committee is a voluntary committee to conduct elections only and does not have the bandwidth for any other issues. TAGDV Executive Committee, please forward this communication to the General Body. Regards, T. Justin TAGDV Election Committee 2023 – Chair

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-10-31T12:41:52-04:00October 31st, 2023|election-2023|0 Comments

Candidate Profile: Saravanan Krishnan

Name: Saravanan KrishnanPhone: 610-850-4502Email: saravanan.gobi@gmail.comTAGDV Membership Tenure Life MemberVolunteer Positions held at TAGDV· Exton Tamil Palli Treasurer (2021-2023)· TAGDV event volunteer (Program, Food and Stalls) for 10+ events· Multiple ETP Volunteering roles during last 5 years· Represented TAGDV during two FetNA convention events held in Chicago and New YorkSignificant Contribution done to TAGDV· Significant contribution towards increasing the Exton Tamil Palli students count from 200 to 310+· Every increase in student count brings more love towards our Tamil language and its directly helped in increasing the TAGDV Membership.· Brought more people to Volunteer for ETP through effective coordination as team and innovative communications.· As a three member ETP core team, successfully conducted school annual days with 650+ persons.· Brought many cost savings to Exton Tamil Palli/TAGDV and built many assets during our team tenure, that helps our Tamil school and TAGDV.· Extended the Tamil school library from 50 books to 200+ books.· Supported most of the TAGDV Executive committee members (Brought many stalls to support our TAGDV event by working with Marketing coordinator)Personal Details / Facebook Handler (If Applicable) Job Details / Linkedin Profile Current Employer Leading communication providerJob Title Lead Solution ArchitectBrief Bio (200 words)I live in Exton along with my spouse and two kids. Working as Lead solution Architect in reputable telecommunication provider and being in the IT/Telecommunication fields during last two decades. I love connecting people and work as team to perform well for many volunteering organizations. Connected with Exton Tamil Palli since 2019 and performed Treasurer role for 2 years. Additionally volunteered in the PTO board for Exton elementary school during 2022-23.My promises to TAGDV Patrons? (200 words)· Our TAGDV members currently volunteering more than 10,000 hours yearly by teaching through our Tamil schools and TAGDV events. My first promise is to build the system to record volunteer hours to get State level recognition like Governor awards in short term (Both Delaware and Pennsylvania)· Bring Presidential awards for our Youth volunteers in next 2-3 years.· TAGDV hosted the first FeTNA convention during 1988. I will work with other EC members and school committee members to improve the TAGDV participation in FetNA events and programs.· We as next EC team will set the good platform to run the FetNA Convention by TAGDV soon.· Improve the TAGDV social media presence by creating more contents and programs in TAGDV Facebook and YouTube channels. Proposing new Subcommittee to be formed from all our Tamil schools.· Proposing the Single consolidated online Tamil school to support Delaware, South Jersey and Pennsylvania members. This will help in increasing Tamil learning opportunity for every kid in our Tri-State area.· Conduct sports events for our TAGDV members and their Kids to enrich their skills and social connect.· Proposing to conduct fund raising events/events for awareness (Like Autism) and local causes to connect our Tamil community to local people.· Improve and modernize the assets for TAGDV for better cost optimization.

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-10-30T00:18:14-04:00October 29th, 2023|election-2023|0 Comments

Candidate Profile: Thamilinian S K

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-10-30T00:22:56-04:00October 29th, 2023|election-2023|0 Comments

Final list of Candidates for the TAGDV Elections 2023

TAGDV Elections 2023 Greetings from the TAGDV Election Committee, 2023. This election committee has been operational since Sep, 2023. We request your full support, understanding and cooperation in conducting a fair, representative and comprehensive election between November 1 - 4, 2023. Online Voting is underway!!Please check your email for the ballot. If you are a valid member and but have not received your ballot, please send an email to electioncommittee2023@tagdv.org by 5 PM on Nov 02 2023.1)All update of emails done after the cutoff time on Oct 30, 2023 till 5 PM today (Nov 2, 2023) , will get the email to vote around 10 PM today (Nov 2, 2023)2) For any updates after 5:00 pm today (Nov 2, 2023) need to come In-person for the General Body meeting on Nov 4, 2023, and their membership details will be duly validated during the General Body Meeting and email ballot will be sent to the updated email. There will be no Paper ballots.3) No updates will be done for any emails after the General Body Meeting ends. On-line Voting will be available till 5:00 PM on Saturday.TAGDV Election Committee kindly requests your patience while they are diligently working on this meticulous and time consuming process. Please visit the Elections FAQs section for more details. The following are the Final Candidates for the TAGDV Administrative Body Position. There will be Online Elections for the following Positions : Vice-President, Treasurer, EC - Member at Large, Board of Trustees The Candidates for President, Secretary will be ratified during the Annual General Body. ADMINISTRATIVE BODY NUMBER OF POSITIONS FINAL CANDIDATE LIST TERM (Years) President 1 Bharathi Ponnappan 2 Vice-President 1 Saravanan Krishnan Vasanthi Karthikeyan 2 Secretary 1 Vani Lalmohan 2 Treasurer 1 Ravichandran Raju Shakthiprian Shanmugam Ramakrishnan 2 EC - Member at Large 5 Bhuvaneshwari Natarajan Gunasekaran Karthik Sundaram Periyasamy Kanagaraj Sundar Govindarajan Thamilinian S K Vasudevan Varadharajan 2 Board of Trustees 4 Baskar Chinnusamy Chandrasekar Shanmugavadivelu Siva Prasath Suresh K Paramasivam Vijay Selvaraj 4 Tamil School Board 3 No Nominations Received. We will have floor nominations for this position. 2

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-11-02T16:21:19-04:00October 29th, 2023|event, General|0 Comments

Candidate Profile: Sundar Govindarajan

TAGDV Membership Tenure Since 2015Volunteer Positions held at TAGDV Volunteer at PMTS events and TAGDV Tamil school events like Book distribution etcSignificant Contribution done to TAGDV Looking for the opportunity to join TAGDV EC to make contributionsPersonal Details / Facebook Handler (If Applicable) Job Details / Linkedin Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/sundar-pmp/Current Employer Job Title Doing consulting for Cloud migration and .Net architecturesBrief Bio (200 words) Living in Lansdale, PA with my wife Kavitha and my sons Lukesh and Daiwik. Every one of our family did some volunteer to the TAG. My wife was a PMTS teacher. I have experience in handling non-profit organizations and in corporate management.My promises to TAGDV Patrons? (200 words) My promises to TAGDV Patrons are deeply rooted in our commitment to the welfare and prosperity of our community. I will be committed to strengthening TAGDV and our Tamil schools in various ways, creating opportunities for our member to engage with the younger generation, and fostering increased awareness and participation in Tamil schools and TAGDV. My interest is in preserving and promoting Tamil language and culture.Ultimately, my commitment is to contribute to the overall growth and well-being of our community, working together for a strong, vibrant TAGDV that benefits all its supporters. I humbly seek your support and trust as I embark on this journey and am wholeheartedly committed to fulfilling these promises for the betterment of TAGDV and all its supporters. Thank you for considering me as a member of TAGDV EC.

By Leena Paramanandam|2023-10-29T20:02:29-04:00October 29th, 2023|election-2023|0 Comments

About Leena Paramanandam