DR. AFZAL AHMAD
co-founder, president & chief executive

Dr. Afzal Ahmad is a retired ophthalmologist who, after completing his retina fellowship from Harvard Medical School, built a successful practice in the Chicagoland suburbs. He is known for his numerous local and international philanthropic endeavors, having launched several charitable organizations including the Hundal Foundation, Hamdard Center and The Citizen Foundation USA.

The Hundal Collection, which he assembled with his wife over the last 50+ years, is one of the major South Asian collections in the US. His desire to cultivate the arts and culture of the region prompted him to establish the South Asia Institute. Together with his wife, Shireen, they are the only South Asian Americans to have endowed professorships in South Asian arts at multiple US universities.

DR. SHIREEN AHMAD
co-founder, secretary & chief artistic director

Dr. Shireen Ahmad is a retired academic anesthesiologist. Along with her husband she has assembled is one of the major South Asian visual art collections (The Hundal Collection) in the US.

Her strong desire to share the artistic heritage and build bridges between communities through the arts is manifested in the exhibitions, programs and events at the South Asia Institute. Together with her husband, Afzal, they are the only South Asian Americans to have endowed professorships in South Asian arts at multiple US universities.

SANGINI BRAHMBHATT
executive director

Sangini Brahmbhatt is a Chicago-based arts and culture leader focused on equity and access. She previously served as Deputy Commissioner of Programming at Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, managing citywide cultural partnerships. Her career includes leadership roles at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago, Arts Alliance Illinois, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography, where she combined fundraising and relationship-building to strengthen community-serving organizations.

She holds a BA in Art + Design from DePaul University and is an alumna of Cultivate: Women of Color Leadership and Leadership in Democracy programs. As the daughter of Indian immigrants, she is dedicated to advancing South Asian arts and storytelling, fostering inclusive spaces for community connection and systemic change.

SYDNEY BAROFSKY
curator of collections & exhibitions manager

Sydney Barofsky is a Pilsen-based curator and arts writer working on their PhD in art history at the University of Illinois Chicago. Their passion is engaging the broader Chicago public in the arts of South Asia, developing a “Close Looking” series at the institute, where visitors spend extended periods of time discussing key works of art in current exhibitions. Sydney has previously held curatorial, research, and preservation-related positions at the Madden Museum, Vicki Myhren Gallery, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Chicano Murals for Colorado Project.

Hesam Salehbeig
marketing and communications coordinator

Hesam Salehbeig is an Iranian, Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist and curator. They hold a BA in Architecture and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. They are driven by a commitment to reimagining ancient cultural relationships across South Asia, with a particular focus on Indo-Iranian ritual, philosophical, and mystical traditions spanning Iran, India, and Pakistan. Engaging these lineages in dialogue with queer and performance studies, their work examines questions of mental well-being, self-transformation, and self-authorship.

RHIA THECCANAT
programs and development coordinator

Rhia Theccanat studied Graphic Design and Anthropology at Saint Louis University. As a designer, she focuses her work on finding the intersection between design and social justice. Rhia uses her skills to support the communications and exhibitions at SAI. She appreciated SAI for its dedication to uplifting South Asian voices, especially in the arts.