Poonam Shah is the founder and executive director of Blutera, championing the empowerment of our youth through educational initiatives and fostering a deep-seated advocacy for the environment. Her commitment to social change extends through her role on the board of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Alameda County since 2020 and her active involvement in the Pleasanton chapter of the National Charity League. 

With a distinguished career spanning over 15 years in the technology sector, Poonam has been instrumental in spearheading innovation and growth. Not only did she launch a successful startup, but she also led product management for Oracle Student Cloud, showcasing her prowess in building and scaling SaaS products and driving technology revenue growth. Her tenure in the industry has solidified her reputation as a seasoned product management expert. 

Outside the professional realm, Poonam dedicates her time to her family and community service. She enjoys hiking, exploring new destinations, cycling, culinary adventures, and dancing, all of which reflect her zest for life and passion for experiencing the world's diverse cultures and landscapes. 

Mahesh Shah currently serves Blutera on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer.  He is an environmental advocate committed to bringing positive change through education.  With his passion for learning, he serves Blutera with the goal of instilling a deep sense of environmental stewardship and inspiring people to take action to drive a more sustainable future for our planet.

Outside of Blutera, he is currently the CEO of CoreTrust.  He also serves on the Board of Brighter Children, a non-profit focused on education.  In addition, Mahesh serves as a mentor for Masters of Technology students at Columbia University and Northeastern University.

On a personal level, he loves spending time running, playing soccer, and spending time with his family.

Sanjay is a 20+ year software engineering veteran with extensive experience in product development and software project management, having worked in diverse industries including supply chain management, mobile messaging and fintech.

He is committed to using his energy and skills towards protecting the increasingly threatened environment on this planet we all call home. Blutera’s mission of using the power of education to provide better opportunities for people, as well as motivating and enabling them to become stewards of the environment is very dear to his heart, and he is proud to serve on its Board of Directors.

In his leisure time, Sanjay loves to watch movies, and dabbles in music, playing the guitar and being part of a samba percussion group for over 10 years. He also  loves to travel and experience the geographical and cultural diversity of our world.

As a practicing CPA, Erich has been meeting the tax and accounting needs of small businesses and individuals in the Bay Area for over 20 years. Erich is the founder of LBO Accountancy, and 5 years ago, he opened up a sister office located outside of Boston, Massachusetts.

Erich got his start in the Accounting industry when he was a Sophomore in college when he interned at Recoll Management in Boston, Massachusetts. After he graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelors in Accounting, he moved to California to attend Golden Gate University, where he received his Masters in Accounting. 

After graduating Golden Gate University, Erich taught Accounting at the University of California, Berkeley while opening up his firm.  He is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is licensed in both California and Massachusetts as a CPA.

Kate Dao has worked as an educator developing individualized programs for K-12 students for over 20 years.  She believes children should have the freedom to explore their natural curiosity and creativity.  

In 2017, Kate founded Acton Academy East Bay, a learner-driven K-12 microschool in Livermore, CA to create a space for students to experience an education that encourages critical thinking, entrepreneurship, imagination, and exploration.  Her mission is to allow learners to test their ideas to discover how and why things work and to find answers to their questions in a collaborative and inclusive environment.

Kate hopes to use her educational experience to serve our youth in their environmental conservation work to responsibly and sustainably care for our planet.

Laura is an accomplished technology ecosystem executive, bringing more than 25 years of deep experience developing highly successful partner programs, strategies and global alliances driving revenue of Cloud, Services and Enterprise Solutions. Her partner and customer industry expertise extends across multiple verticals and sectors, including Cloud Platform, Consulting & Development, Distribution and Resellers, Security, Manufacturing, Public Sector and Higher Education.

Prior to joining Infor as the Global VP of Partnerships, Laura has held global alliance and channels leadership roles at Oracle, OpSource/Dimension Data, Taleo and Plex Systems, a Rockwell Automation Company.  

Laura’s passions include supporting and raising funds for philanthropic organizations focused on cancer research, animal welfare and education initiatives, following Formula One and her local San Francisco sports teams and international travel.  She can also mix a respectable Manhattan! 

Laura resides in the San Francisco Bay area and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sales and Marketing from the California State University at Chico.

Nicole has been passionate about the transformative potential of education in helping people achieve their fullest potential and pave the way for a brighter and more inclusive future. 

After graduating from college, she worked at an education startup in South Africa, igniting her passion for transformative learning experiences. After briefly exploring the consulting world, she soon returned to an operational role at an edtech startup, where she could directly impact the K-12 landscape. 

During her tenure at LearnZillion, a venture-backed digital curriculum publisher, Nicole reported directly to the CFO, playing a pivotal role in steering the company through a period of remarkable growth that culminated in a successful acquisition. Shortly thereafter, she joined LinkedIn in Strategic Finance and concurrently also took on the role of Executive Director at Brighter Children, a global venture philanthropy that has raised over $1 million to provide quality education to more than 2,500 children across 3 continents. 

She currently is an investor at Lumos Capital Group, a growth equity fund focused on the global human capital sector, and serves on the Board of several of Lumos' portfolio companies in the K-12 and Postsecondary space.   

Grace Nguyen is a financial advisor and realtor who has a deep passion for children's education and development. After spending 15+ years in primary education, Grace shifted her focus to financial literacy - helping families and small businesses with their financial needs.

Grace’s passion for helping others was inspired by her family's involvement in helping the community. As a first-generation child of refugee parents, Grace learned the value of giving and giving back through personal experience. She has embodied the spirit to giving through her involvement with various charitable organizations – Project Open Hand, Habitat For Humanity, Feed The Children, People to People Foundation, Panah Charity Foundation (Afghanistan), and Pastoral del Amor (Mexico).

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, enjoying a variety of outdoors activities such as hiking, rafting, and exploring new places.

Param holds an MBA in Marketing and accrued four years of professional experience in the telecom sector before venturing into entrepreneurship alongside her husband. Together, they own diverse businesses in the Central Valley, spanning retail, gas, hospitality, and real estate development.

With a profound commitment to philanthropy, Param has dedicated over 15 years to the non-profit sector. Her involvement began with school committees during her children's middle school years, progressing to high school committees overseeing various programs in the school district.

Param has assumed several leadership roles, serving as the Board Chair for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tracy, impacting 2300 children daily across three school districts in San Joaquin County. Additionally, she chaired the Grand Foundation, successfully raising funds for arts and art education in Tracy. Param actively contributes to organizations such as Tracy Rotary and Freemeals, focusing on children's development, addressing food insecurity, and promoting arts in communities.

With a passion for service and community betterment, Param eagerly brings her expertise to Blutera, aiming to contribute to the organization's growth and elevate its impact. She looks forward to exploring educational initiatives in places like Kenya. As a proud mother of two boys, Param initially entered the non-profit realm to involve her children in volunteer activities, subsequently finding immense joy in witnessing the tangible impact of collective efforts. Grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals, Param remains devoted to making the world a better place. 

Sonia Arora brings her extensive expertise and passion for holistic healing to her advisory role at Heal Circle, where she has been actively engaged for the past five years. Motivated by the recognition of environmental factors contributing to various health issues, Sonia is deeply committed to working closely towards spreading awareness of Environment affects on health to future generations. She believes in the importance of educating on wellness and executing actions to make the environment better.

With an Executive MBA from Kellogg University, Sonia has accumulated over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, having worked with prominent organizations such as SAP, Sybase, Kaiser, and Blue Shield. Her background in technology, coupled with her dedication to holistic healing, uniquely positions her to contribute valuable insights and guidance to Bluetera's mission.

I have spent more than 30 terrific years as a software business professional, most recently as a customer success leader at Oracle. I’ve always been a passionate advocate for meaningful change, so I decided to close that chapter of my career to learn all I could about the sources of harmful pollution and the myriad of potential solutions to reduce these harms.

Our precious world is indeed on fire. The effects of climate change on people, especially poorer communities, our fragile ecosystems and wildlife around the globe are all at stake. After spending time learning from scientists and educators and listening to people share their anxieties and frustrations, along with their optimism and hope, I decided to act by forming an environmental consulting business. Today, my focus is on educating, encouraging and inspiring local communities, businesses and cities to decrease their pollution by adopting less polluting solutions coupled with climate action policies. I’m truly honored to participate on Blutera’s advisory board as its mission is closely aligned with my environmental values.

I grew up in New Jersey, attended college near Philadelphia and moved to San Francisco in the early 90s. I’m a mom to three awesome adulting children and I recently moved to Orange County with my partner of 15 years. I love spending time hiking in wild spaces as well as traveling the world and learning about different cultures; I especially enjoy experiencing the delicious diversity of world foods! I’m a certified sommelier, a native gardener, an animal lover, a passionate supporter of the arts and I’m working on my pickleball game. I think a sense of humor is vitally important, so I try to find something funny to smile and laugh about daily!

Eram has an MBA in Finance and started her career in banking before moving into the retail / e-commerce space. She is an accomplished Program Manager with over 20 years of proven success in leading complex projects and building teams.

"I am passionate about using my skills and experience to help others gain access to opportunities that I was lucky enough to have." This  passion led her to a career shift, and since 2020, she is fully committed to consulting for nonprofits. She looks for projects where she can leverage her strategic vision, leadership experience and business acumen in driving growth, excellence and innovation. She is currently also on the Advisory Board and serving in the role of Business Development Director for a Delaware based nonprofit.

Eram has been settled in the Bay Area for 23 years with her wonderful husband and two teenage boys. “We are definitely a golfing family.” She also loves to travel and explore different cultures.