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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
RAJ PONNIAH
Board Member
Raj Ponniah grew up a none traditional Tamil in a somewhat traditional household. Starting out as an Entrepreneur at the age of 19, Raj struck out on his own trying his hand at a variation of industries ranging from legal services to the technology industry. After following his business spirit, Raj recently decided to go back to further his higher level education by following his heart in Psychology.
Born in Colombo Raj left Sri Lanka at the age of 8 during the beginning of the riots. Went directly to California with his family where he joined the rest of the Diaspora. Growing up in San Bernardino county at the time left limited contact to other Sri Lankans. This gave value to having a place where the youth can go to network and embrace their common hurdles of growing up South Asian in a Westernized culture.
Approached by President and Founder Aruni Ganewatte two years ago to take on a role as adviser to S.L.Y.O. Understanding what her goals were for this youth group and the trust and respect that was established over the years, there was no hesitation to jump at the opportunity.
SURANGA GANEWATTE
Board Member
Suranga is the Vice President for JPMorgan Chase. With more than 20 years of management and leadership experience at JPMorgan Chase, Suranga has cultivated his skills to become a proven leader by implementing a strategic focus to build and grow various lines of businesses in the bank. He brings his wealth of experience and knowledge to help the community and our youth at SLYO.
Suranga grew up in Sri Lanka, where he attended St. Sebastian’s College. He then immigrated to the US and completed his degree at Pepperdine University in California. His vast experience in management, entrepreneurship and finance have all contributed to his success.
SAMANTHIKA TATE
Board Member
Samanthika De Silva moved to the United States when she was 8 years old. When she first moved to the United States she only spoke two words of English; Yes and No. Within a short period of time she quickly emerged in to the American culture but at home she had a Sri Lankan upbringing. After graduating high school she attended the University of California Davis. At Davis she took the opportunity to embrace her culture and stand apart from other minority groups. She wanted to make sure everyone she met knew where she was from. Any opportunity she got she spoke about Sri Lankan and her culture. In hopes of educating more people and making a difference as a Sri Lankan, she joined a Chicana/Latina Sorority. Through this organization she educated a lot of her college peers about Sri Lanka and her upbringing. Today she is a branch manager for a financial institution. She loves fashion, reading, traveling and spending every moment possible with her family. What she enjoys most about life is giving back to the less fortunate. Her greatest passions are animals. In her spare time you can find her volunteering her time at animal organizations.
As the SLYO Los Angeles president for 2014 her vision is to make SLYO stronger and grow. She hopes to be able to create opportunities for the youth to give back to the less fortunate. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give is what she lives by every day
RAJ WEERAKKODY
Board Member
Raj Weerakkody was born in Sri Lanka and moved here with his family as a teenager. He currently lives in Orange County, CA where he attended high school and University. He was a gifted athlete in high school football team which earned him a football scholarship to San Diego State University. Raj went on to graduate from California State University at Long Beach with a degree in International Business.
Raj has always been a savvy entrepreneur and founded a security company in his 20s. H went on to sell his partnership to open his own café and Teahouse, Royal Cup Café, in Long Beach, CA. Royal Cup Cafe was named Café of the Year by Strong Restaurant.com and named Cafe of the Month by OC Weekly speaking to Raj’s talent and vision in the business field. Raj is passionate about the arts and collects pieces and to keep on display at Royal Cup Café contributing to its eclectic and artsy ambiance. Raj is an active member of the community and frequently contributes to philanthropic causes in the Sri Lankan and Long Beach community.
He believes that one’s community is a major part of a person’s identity and has been a major driving force behind SLYO’s successful fundraisers. Raj is in the process of franchising Royal Cup Cafe to proliferate his passion for great coffee, great food, great art, and great ambiance contributing to great communities!
He enjoys time with his family and pets whenever his busy schedule allows some free time.
JANAKA ABEYSINGHE
Chief Finance Director
Janaka Abeysinghe was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka and moved to the United States in 2009 with Diversity Visa Lottery system. After graduating from high school in Sri Lanka, Janaka started working as a banking trainee for Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, one of the biggest Banks in Sri Lanka, In a short period of time, Janaka claimed the ladder to become an executive officer in the bank, but left the job to migrate to the United States. In 2009 He continued in banking career by joining Wells Fargo, and today he works as a Personal Financial Advisor for Kinecta Federal Credit Union. As a person who wants to take many challenges in life, coming to the county with no family background Janaka studied full time while working. He graduated with an Associated Degree in Business Administration from Los Angeles Pierce College in 2014, and Bachelors degree in Finance from the California State University of Northridge in 2016. In his leisure time, Janaka enjoys working with SLYO to give back to the community. He was SLYO’s inaugural Secretory, Treasurer from 2012-2014, Vice President in 2014, and currently, the Finance Director.
CHATURA DE SILVA
Chief Chapter Council Director/ Multimedia Marketing Director
Chatura De silva is a dedicated social and serial Entrepreneur. He carries a passion for aviation and flying and currently is obtaining his pilot license. Chatura is a major investor in the crypto and stock market fields. He dabbled with crypto in early 2010 which gave him an upper hand on trading and prices. His influences from crypto and involvement with SLYO inspired him to create Project Pursuit of Happiness - a charity organization with a mission to improve the quality of life and ensure a secure and safe living condition for all. Chatura also loves outdoor extracurricular activities. He has completed spartan races, ½ Ironman, and Full Ironman. Recently, Chatura established a digital production company that creates social exposure and marketing on a digital platform. Chatura De Silva’s early leadership experience in his Fraternity Beta Gamma Nu while attending CSUN provided great leadership insight on many of the projects he takes on today. If you want to start a business, help your community, or even get a music video done, Chat is the ultimate go-to; a renaissance man. We are proud to have him on the board as Chapters Board of Director.
SARINDEE WICKRAMASURIYA
Chief Program Director
Sarindee Wickramasuriya was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She immigrated to the United States when she was 9 years old and has since lived in Georgia, California, Washington DC, Minnesota, and Illinois. She graduated from The American University in Washington, D.C. with a B.A. In Communication Studies, a minor in Political Science and specialization in Media and Government. Sarindee currently resides in Chicago, where she is an Event Production Lead and Project Manager for Dyson. Prior to joining Dyson, Sarindee worked on strategic planning, execution, and oversight of corporate, B2B & B2C events for Verizon Media (previously known as Aol Inc, Yahoo Inc, and Oath Inc.). In addition to being an experiential marketing specialist, Sarindee also has a background in strategic communications and public relations. Though she has now lived in the US longer, Sarindee grew up visiting Sri Lanka every summer and still considers it “home.” Her Sri Lankan heritage is something she’s always been proud to bring to the table. She credits a lot of her success to the support of her family and SL community in Georgia. Thus, giving back to the community both in Sri Lanka as well as the US is very near and dear to her heart and the primary reason she joined SLYO. As the Chief Program Director, she focuses on finding partnerships, programs, and opportunities to help members make a positive impact in their communities and the world. Her hope is that SLYO serves as a platform and support system to encourage our youth to dream big, be kind, stay open-minded, and feel empowered to pave their own path to becoming future leaders.