Board Of Directors

Tenzin Dhonyo

Tenzin Dhonyo was born and raised in a Tibetan refugee community in India. For over a decade, he worked for the Central Tibetan Administration, the de facto Tibetan government-in-exile, travelling throughout India and Nepal.

As a leader in his field, Tenzin Dhonyo has spearheaded the creation of strategic development plans for the Tibetan refugee communities. His vision and leadership have been instrumental in rolling out sustainable livelihood and health projects. Currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he has successfully managed several US government-funded multi-million dollar international development projects, showcasing his ability to turn vision into reality. He is also actively involved with the local Tibetan community organizations, serving as their grants and program consultant.
Tenzin Dhonyo was a Fulbright scholar at Brandeis University, where he received his master’s in Sustainable International Development. He is currently a senior project manager for the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law).

Ila Schoop Rutten

Ila Schoop Rutten was a research fellow for TCHRD during the fall of 2019 after completing her master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po Paris.

She has worked in research and communications for various NGOs and UN agencies and completed a second master’s in Anthropology from the Geneva Graduate Institute. Today, she’s a producer for the humanitarian industry podcast Trumanitarian and an anthropological researcher for the global health consulting group Anthrologica. Ila is passionate about the power of ideas and knowledge and how clever and honest dissemination of the two can change people and societies.

Kalsang Dorji Lungkhawa

Kalsang Dorji Lungkhawa was born and raised in India. He completed his high school at Upper TCV School in Dharamsala and obtained a bachelor’s degree from Punjab University in Chandigarh, India.

After graduation, he worked for the Central Tibetan Administration for over 14 years. Currently based in San Francisco, CA, he has been actively involved with the local Tibetan Association of Northern California for more than a decade. He is currently serving as the Principal of the Sunday Tibetan Language School, also known as Namchod Kyetsel School.