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 and he has also endowed a Professorship at the University of Michigan in order to promote education and research in South Asian arts.

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

Dr. Shireen Ahmad is a former professor of Anesthesiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University. She has a strong interest in art and along with her husband, has acquired one of the largest collections of South Asian art in the US. The creation of South Asia Institute is the fulfillment of her long-standing dream to share her cultural heritage and build bridges between communities through the arts. With her husband, she has established the Shireen and Afzal Ahmad Professorship in South Asian Arts at the University of Michigan that will foster the next generation of scholars, curators and critics in the field.

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

SYDNEY BAROFSKI
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
audience development associate

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.

ANKIT KHADGI
communications co-ordinator

Ankit is a Visual and Critical Studies graduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a Nepali writer, and journalist and wants to curate art shows and events in the future.