Mikel Cirkus, President
As a designer, photographer, illustrator and writer, Mikel has a unique perspective on the rapidly changing world of trends, content creation, and execution. His role, as Global Creative Director, Foresight & Trenz, at dsm-firmenich for the past 24 years, is to evoke inspiration for innovation. Both a generous knowledge sharer and collaborator, Mikel identifies and presents the imminent and massive changes that will have an impact on the food and beverage industry. With foresight expertise, he brings a cultural depth to brand authenticity by examining beyond the obvious to conclude which factors will shape the future of consumer goods. Mikel is a graduate of The Art Center College of Design, and makes his home in West Windsor.
Padmaja Ganapathy, Vice President
Padmaja Ganapathy is a writer, philosopher, biologist, artist and “artrepreneur” who holds a PhD in Oncology and MBA in Finance. As the founder of Artsee, a free online portfolio platform for artists, she aims to democratize the art world by providing visibility to artists of diverse genres, countries, and domains. She is also the co-founder and co-director of Artists4Peace, a curated platform dedicated to empowering artists and promoting peace through art. Prior to that she ran the US operations for Godavari Biorefineries, an intensely philanthropic and environmentally conscious bio-refinery based in India. She has previously worked in major pharmaceuticals in areas of benchmarking and clinical trials management. Padmaja is currently writing a multimedia book based on her philosophical blog, “The Naked Soul.”
Aarti Nathan, Secretary
Aarti Nathan considers herself a “creative technologist” as she is passionate about both technology and the arts. She has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and has spent more than 2 decades in the IT industry. Aarti currently handles strategic accounts for Persistent Systems, a leading software services provider. On the art side, she especially enjoys acrylic painting and zentangle drawing. Aarti recently worked as the chief operating officer of an India-based not-for-profit, Katalyst. She continues to mentor students from the program and support the not-for-profit on their technology systems. Born in India and having lived on 3 continents, she enjoys traveling and meeting new people across different cultures. She is committed to women’s empowerment, education and mentoring youth.
Ann Zawartkay, Treasurer
Ann Zawartkay holds a B.S. in accounting and a B.A. in classical civilization from Lehigh University, where she was a high honors graduate and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of New Jersey, a Chartered Global Management Accountant, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Ann formed Nonprofit Accounting Solutions, LLC (NPAS) in 2014, where she specializes in accounting services for non-profit and tax-exempt organizations, including bookkeeping, financial reporting, budgeting, outsourced accounting department, and outsourced Controller/CFO services. Prior to forming NPAS, Ann spent ten years at Mercadien, P.C., Certified Public Accountants. She currently resides in Robbinsville, New Jersey.
Alisa Algava strives to understand how child- and community-centered schooling contests structural inequity and creates moments and spaces of radical possibility. A former student, teacher, principal and board member in progressive elementary schools, Alisa connects a developmental approach with a social and educational justice stance in her work with both children and adults. She graduated from and teaches in Bank Street’s leadership programs and is currently a doctoral student in Urban Education at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. Alisa’s greatest accomplishment and joy, though, is being the eldest daughter of artist and art teacher Priscilla Snow Algava, or as Priscilla used to call Alisa and her younger sister Carin: “My two greatest works of art.” Alisa learned from her mama to see beauty everywhere. Priscilla was a beloved teacher at West Windsor Arts until she was tragically diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and then died in 2019. WWA created a scholarship fund in her honor. Priscilla is deeply missed and her creative joyful spirit lives on right here with her daughters, family and friends, the regional arts community and all of us, every day.
Shivani Badgi is an Indian American professional dancer and business owner specializing in Kathak and Lavani (traditional Indian dance forms). A resident of West Windsor since age 6, she attended the WWP schools. She has performed on stages such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Consulate General of India, United Nations, Theater for the New City, Longwood Gardens, and at Florida’s Disney World. Shivani graduated from Rutgers University with majors in Psychology and Human Resources and a dance minor. Afterwards, she explored fundraising in the arts and worked with the New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. In 2017 she founded The Gurukul Performing Arts, her own performing arts school with branches in NJ and NYC. She believes in art’s power to bring a community together.
Latoya Edwards is a Senior Advisor, Government Affairs & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, at Conduent and previously Chair of Conduent’s Black Impact Group. While immediate past president of the WW-P African American Parent Support Group, she partnered with West Windsor Arts on the annual MLK Day of Service, helping to ensure its success. Latoya has been involved in the WW-P NAACP Youth Chapter and was a Girl Scout Troop Leader and member of the Girl Scouts of Central & Southern NJ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Racial Justice Advisory Council. Latoya received her B.A. in Accounting & Business Administration from Lincoln University, her M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She resides in West Windsor with her husband and three children.
Elane Gutterman is a founding board member, a previous board President, and currently serves as Chair of the Governance Committee. A published poet who honed her skills through classes at West Windsor Arts, she has served as literary arts committee chair since the opening of the art center. She is a health researcher with a PhD in public health from Columbia University, currently working as a volunteer adjunct assistant professor in Rutgers Global Health Institute. For several years, she was president and principal epidemiologist for a small global health company based in West Windsor. She and her husband live in West Windsor. In addition, her two adult daughters grew up in West Windsor and attended West Windsor-Plainsboro schools.
Tyler Marcocci is a supervisor with Mercadien P.C., Certified Public Accountants’ Nonprofit and Human Services Group. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from the Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and served on the university’s audit committee. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of New Jersey. He is also a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. He resides in Ewing, New Jersey. In his free time, Tyler enjoys attending concerts and spending time with his retired racing greyhound.
Kristen Oberlin was born and raised in Georgia and relocated to New Jersey in 2019. Oberlin is the the Human Resources Director for The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ. A member of the School’s senior staff, Oberlin is responsible for the overall strategic direction and operations of the Human Resources Department, designing and carrying out human resources programs across the School, and working with key partners in the administration to assess, develop, and implement policies. Prior to moving from Georgia to New Jersey, Kristen was the Human Resources Director for Atlanta International School, a K-12, multi-linguistic International Baccalaureate school. She and her husband live in Princeton and actively volunteer in their community.
