Executive Team

Pratima Penumarthy

Pratima Penumarthy has been deeply engaged with the elderly community since a young age, offering her assistance with their daily tasks and caring for her parents. Her experiences have given her a profound understanding of the challenges faced by senior citizens, driving her unwavering commitment to giving back to the community and making a positive societal impact.

Recognizing the need for support among senior citizens who may be hesitant to seek help, Pratima established "Volunteering for Seniors" as a non-profit organization along with her husband Ramakrishna Penumarthy. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide much-needed assistance to older individuals who require help in their daily lives.

Beyond her remarkable dedication to the elder community, 

Pratima Penumarthy has also distinguished herself as an educator over the past two decades. Her profound connections with both children and adults underscore her versatile skills and strong dedication to education.

Her extensive experience in education has not only equipped her to comprehend the needs of young learners but has also enabled her to cultivate meaningful relationships with adults in the community. With her ability to bridge generational gaps and her passion for aiding senior citizens, Pratima's unique combination of strengths positions her to positively impact a diverse range of individuals within her community.

Ramakrishna Penumarthy

Ramakrishna Penumarthy is a dedicated and compassionate individual whose life revolves around not only his successful career but also his commitment to helping seniors lead fulfilling lives. Ramakrishna's professional journey is marked by self-motivation and unwavering focus, qualities that have not only driven his career but also his philanthropic endeavors. One of the most admirable aspects of Ramakrishna's character is his profound dedication to the well-being of seniors. He is a firm believer of a saying from Bhagavdgita - "When you feel the suffering of every living thing in your own heart, that is consciousness." 

Despite a busy work schedule, he has always found time to support and assist seniors in his community. He goes the extra mile by regularly taking them to medical appointments and checking in on them to ensure their physical and emotional well-being. This selfless commitment to the elderly has touched the lives of many and has earned him the respect and gratitude of both seniors and their families.

Ramakrishna co-founded VFS with Pratima whose mission is to keep seniors active and ensure they live life to the fullest. Together, they have created a community to support seniors, offering companionship, assistance, and a variety of activities that enrich the lives of these older individuals. Their dedication to this mission has made a significant difference in the lives of countless seniors, fostering a sense of belonging and happiness.

Ramakrishna Penumarthy's life is a testament to the balance he has struck between a successful career in IT and his unwavering dedication to serving seniors in his community. His self-motivation and focused approach to his professional life, coupled with his compassionate and philanthropic endeavors, make him an exceptional individual who brings positive change to the lives of those he encounters.

Badarinadh Vissapragada

Mr. Badarinadh Vissapragada is a philanthropist, a successful leader, a highly achieved professional in his career. His passion and dedication to volunteering and in particular helping seniors is what made him to be part of this initiative. He always supported and advocated volunteers who loved working with the elderly and brought smiles on their faces.

Badarinadh retired after 35 years of his professional life in oil & gas industry worked in different countries and finally settled in Boston mainly involved in charity. He was the founder of Srutjilayalu organization mainly to promote carnatic music and Kuchipudi dance art forms.

Dr. Rohit Chandra

Dr. Rohit Chandra is an M.D. and a psychiatrist at MGH Chelsea Healthcare Center and an Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

He is the Board chair for a South Boston-based arts and healing non-profit organization called Medicine Wheel. He has been involved in community activities such as acting in the Boston area’s Indian acting troupe, SETU, and serving as a judge for the India International Film Festival Boston (IIFFB). He is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with our sorely needed volunteering organization, Volunteering for Seniors and pillar us through our activities.

Dr. Srinivas Sonti

Dr. Srinivas Sonti is currently working at Sartorius Biotech in the manufacturing department of medicines and vaccine and has closely worked with several Pharma and Bio Pharma companies including Merck, Abbott, Sanofi, Moderna, etc. He holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering and business management and a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering with focus in the biotech area.

He is very passionate about serving humanity through development of new technologies that help people live a healthy and active life. As part of his passion, he has been a constant support to Volunteering for Seniors.

Akhila Penumarthy

The VP of Outreach collaboratively develops and implements a comprehensive strategic plan to grow and deepen VFS's relationship with our current members, and partner organizations and identify areas for collaboration.  They will lead the planning and execution of engagement and outreach actions and activities with community allies and partner organizations. Akhila works closely with the Board to develop plans to effectively engage our membership and program offerings. 

Additionally, she will focus on modern and easy communication among volunteers, expand our program to colleges and motivate youth to contribute and build the next generation force.

Arpita Shah

Arpita is a small business owner in the healthcare sector in the state of Massachusetts. She likes to give back to the community & create a positive impact. She was attracted to VFS for its mission to help mostly seniors to keep them energetic & active. As VP of Community engagement, Arpita represents VFS organization in public; fosters productive relationships with community leaders in order to understand community needs, facilitate community connections and develop strategic partnerships.She works collaboratively with the Executive Leadership Team to establish long-range goals and strategies.

Dottie Fulginiti

Dottie Fulginiti was elected to the Easton,MA Select Board in 2013 and has served as the chair for the past three years. She also serves on the Easton Economic Development Council, Commission on Disabilities, and Shovel Town Cultural District Management Partners and Easton Age Friendly Committee. 

Easton ,MA Select Board Chair Dottie Fulginiti was recently honored as a member of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women’s 2021 class of Unsung Heroines.

Neil Anderson

Neil has served non-profit organizations in staff and advisory roles for over 25 years.  While most of this time has been in service to youth, he has always enjoyed working with and for seniors and led efforts to facilitate cross-generational programming while serving as a YMCA Director. As an estate planning attorney, he advises and assists seniors in their planning needs.  

When he learned of the terrific work being done by Volunteering for Seniors, he knew he could play a valuable role as an advisor and bring to bear a relevant legal background coupled with a wealth of knowledge and experience from the non-profit sector.

Dr. Vikas Merchia, MD, FACOG

Dr. Merchia founded ESP Medical in 2011 and is recognized as a top doctor by the “Leading Physicians of the World” and also by South Shore Living, and Cape Cod Magazine. He has a passion for educating students and serves as a student mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) and Tufts University. He is also an associate professor at MGH Institute of Health Professionals (Mass General) in Boston, MA, as well as at Tufts University. He has lectured locally and nationally on topics of urogynecology, incontinence and prolapse surgeries.