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.

BRIAN KEIGHER
executive director / cultural programs manager

Brian Keigher is a performing arts consultant, music presenter, record label owner, disc jockey and event producer. He has worked passionately for decades to elevate and feature South Asia's rich performing arts in Chicago and USA. He is the co-founder and curator of Chicago's celebrated annual all-night Indian classical music festival, Ragamala and the co-founder and producer of Boston University's annual Global Music Festival. He has served as a guest curator, featured speaker and mentor for organizations, music festivals and conferences around the world.

SYDNEY BAROFSKY
exhibitions manager

Sydney Barofsky (they/them) is a PhD student in art history at UIC. They obtained their master's degree in art history with a museum studies concentration from the University of Denver before relocating to Chicago in 2023. In addition to their four years of experience curating and working on exhibitions in Miami and Denver, Sydney enjoys helping non-profit organizations with a variety of projects.

NIA OKE-FAMAKINDE
engagement and development co-ordinator

Nia earned her BA in Art Management, with a concentration in visual arts, from Columbia College Chicago (2023). As a longtime Chicagoan, she is interested in supporting local art nonprofits and exploring the wealth of knowledge that historical and contemporary art has to offer. She joined the SAI team as a Collections Intern in the summer of 2023.

MRITTIKA GHOSH
communications co-ordinator

Mrittika Ghosh (she/her) is a reader, writer, translator, and communications strategist. She holds an MA from the University of Chicago and received her BA from Mount Holyoke College, where she focused on Francophone and South Asian postcolonial art and literature. She is a member of the Muña Art Writing Residency’s 2024 cohort.