We help glocalize the networks and mobilize resources for Carthans across regions as well as generations young and old.
The CARTHA Fellows program is designed to introduce younger faculty, professionals, and students into intergenerational, academic-practitioner networks of Collaborative Doers in the belief that such early exposure will enable these individuals to:
- Build their Collaborative Competence skill-sets;
- Develop new curricular and training programs;
- Serve as role models within their peer groups and across wider communities-of-practice; and
- Contribute their unique talent and creativity into CARTHA programs
If you are interested in learning more about our Fellows or Student Intern programs, partnering with CARTHA on such programs, or supporting the activities of our CARTHA Fellows and Student Interns through financial or in-kind contributions, please contact us.
To honor the memory of CARTHA Founder Usha Balakrishnan’s elder sister (Nirmala Srinivasan) who unexpectedly passed away on August 28, 2025, CARTHA established the Nimma Resilience Fellows program in 2026. The Nimma Resilience Fellows program—designed with a grief counselor as a series of community dialogues and partnerships—promotes intergenerational resilience with a renewed focus on self-care, coping skill sets, and collaborative caregiving approaches.
CARTHA Fellows
2026
Joshua Musonda, CARTHA Nimma Resilience Fellow (Healthy Coping Skills through Oral Storytelling), Dubuque, Iowa, USA
[Picture coming soon]
Will Ode, CARTHA-Nimma Resilience Fellow (Healthy Coping Skills), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
John Galvez, CARTHA-Nimma Resilience Fellow (Healthy Coping Skills), North Liberty, Iowa, USA
Suhani Nagarajan, CARTHA-Nimma Resilience Fellow (Healthy Coping Skills), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
2025
Gregorio Sanchez, CARTHA Fellow (Community Health), Xicotepec, Mexico
Sophia Singh, CARTHA Fellow (Communicating Across Memories), Coralville, Iowa, USA
2024
Jiya Gupta, CARTHA Fellow (IOWAaah Food-Memories Social Media Project), Iowa City, Iowa, USA (and in Hong Kong and Italy)
Ellen Fields, CARTHA Fellow (Community Care), Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Amy Anil, CARTHA Fellow (Community Care), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
2023
Sahana Nagarajan, CARTHA Fellow (Healing through Musicality), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
2022
Tessa Musa,CARTHA Fellow (Healing through Musicality in Parks), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
2021
Tejas Gururaja,CARTHA Fellow (Healing through Musicality in Parks), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
2019
Aida Mengistu,CARTHA Fellow (Community Care), Sioux City, Iowa, USA
2018
Akash Gururaja, CARTHA Fellow (Connecting People through Music and Memories), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
2016
Marcus Brown, CARTHA Fellow (Creative Writing and Humanitarianism), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Brad Pector, CARTHA Fellow (Creative Writing and Humanitarianism), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
2015
Casey Kidwell, CARTHA Fellow (Rotary Partnerships), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
We acknowledge and thank the following CARTHA Fellows for their previous affiliation with CARTHA:
2023: Apoorva Malladi, Kansas City, MO; Kamakshee Kuchhal, Iowa City, Iowa
2022: Sam Strathearn (Iowa City, Iowa)
2021: Austin Wu (Iowa City, Iowa and Vancouver, Canada); Alexa Hunt (Iowa City, Iowa)
2019: Susan Graves (Des Moines, Iowa)
2014: Greta Doucette (Iowa City, Iowa)
2013: Sanjana Krishnan (Hyderabad, India); Michael Moonjely (Iowa City, Iowa); Asa Strong (Malawi, Africa); Aditi Vijay (College Park, Maryland); Angela Amico (New York City, New York)
2012: Rodney Maiden (Iowa City, Iowa and Montgomery, Alabama)
2011: Sarita Patnaik (Rabat, Morocco and Iowa City, Iowa); Amie Ohlmann, Iowa City, Iowa; became CARTHA Program Manager and Director, The Derek Project in 2012); Anahita Vasudevan (Atlanta, Georgia; founded first student chapter “CARTHA at Berkeley” and became CARTHA Board member in 2011); Assata Caldwell (Coralville, Iowa)
2010:(Stephanie Baer (Iowa City, Iowa and Brooklyn, New York)
2009: Robin Beining (Iowa City, Iowa)
2008: Burcu Esmer (Iowa City, Iowa and Ankara-Turkey); Svetha Swaminathan (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Suzanne Hagan (Glasgow-UK); Anu Swaminathan (Farmington, Connecticut); (Elizabeth Hoover de Galvez (Iowa City, Iowa; became CARTHA Council of Advisor in 2010)
2007: Alisha Nicole Apale (Nairobi-Kenya and Montreal-Canada; became CARTHA Council of Advisor in 2009); Luke Juran(Iowa City, Iowa and Nagapattinam, India; became CARTHA Board Member in 2018)
2006: Ajailiu Niumai (Hyderabad-India; became CARTHA Ambassador in 2011); Edwin Brands (Iowa City, Iowa and Birmingham, Alabama); Blythe Burkhardt (Iowa City, Iowa and St. Louis, Missouri; became CARTHA Council of Advisor in 2011); Allen Chen (Boston, Massachusetts); Rebecca Olson (Iowa City, Iowa); Amanda Schwartz (Iowa City, Iowa)