Dr. Appu Kuttan, NEF Founder & Chairman

Dr. Appu Kuttan has been an advisor to many national and world leaders, including three US Administrations — Clinton, Bush and Obama, U.S. Congressional leaders, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (in helping to make India a global IT power) and Mauritius Prime Minister (on transforming Mauritius into an IT-focused nation). He is also the author of many innovative concepts such as Management By Systems (MBS), Cyberlearning, Total Tennis, Win-Win-Win, Happy Executive, Holistic Executive, Kuttan Preschool (Mind-Body-Soul Life Style Development), and acclaimed books such as “From Digital Divide to Digital Opportunity,” and Happy Executive – Nurturing Mind, Body and Soul. He is a Philanthropist who donated most of his personal funds from the sale of the World-famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy to the National Education Foundation (NEF), Described as a “Dedicated Difference Maker;” he has won several awards including the 2006 Global Digital Literacy Champion,  the 2011 University of Wisconsin Distinguished Achievement Award, and the 2019 California Legislature Distinguished Service. He has been a mentor to many people, including world tennis champions Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, and U.S. Presidential Honoree Roger Kuttan.


Dr. Tim Tatsui, NEF Vice-President For CTE & Higher Ed

Dr. Tim Tatsui is a lifelong educator, with a passion for preparing K12 and college students, especially the disadvantaged, for high-demand jobs and STEM skills. He began his career in education as a classroom teacher for Teach for America in Houston, TX and Compton, CA. Dr. Tatsui served in the Compton USD for 9 years in several capacities.  Later, he served as an advisor to Los Angeles Unified School District on policy, program development and evaluation. He also advised teaching and learning candidates, and directed clinical practicum graduate studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills, Pepperdine University and Loyola Marymount University.

As VP of Data and Analytics at Pearson, Dr. Tatsui worked with K12 District, State Partnership and Higher Education system-level clients in the U.S. and Canada.

Dr. Tatsui is a Board Member at the UCLA School of Education and is an Advisory Board Member at Jazz Hands for Autism. Tim earned a B.A. from Baylor University, a Doctor of Education at UCLA, and an M.B.A. from UCLA.


Professor Dr. Chandrashekar, NEF India Advisor

Prof. Chandrashekar has four decades of experience in Senior and Top Management positions, pan-India and abroad. An alumnus of the prestigious HAL Management Academy/IIM, Bangalore, he was formerly Executive Director-Finance, Karnataka State Financial Corporation for nearly three decades and assisted over 10,000 projects; both green, and brownfield projects. He specializes in “Risk Management,” and “International Business”, and teaches in Universities pan-India, and abroad.  He has authored books on Management and developed a Business Simulation Game “My Business-My Strategies.”  His international experience includes the United Nations as Chief Technical Advisor, the World Bank & IMF. Currently, he is the Director of RIMSR, Bangalore, a skill-development center partner of the NEF. 

Prof. Anthony Betrus, NEF STEM+ Academy Program National Director at the State University of New York (SUNY)

Prof. Tony Betrus, a national expert in digital education systems and instructional technology, is a professor of Computer Science, Organizational Leadership, and Technology at the State University of New York (SUNY). Tony and his team implement the NEF CyberLearning STEM+ Academy Total Solution programs in the Nation’s schools, and provide course completion certificates. Tony and his team, guided by NEF Chairman Dr. Appu Kuttan, have succeeded in attaining a 100% graduation rate for Mohawk Reservation students in NY.


Maya Kuttan, General Counsel & Communications Director

Maya Kuttan with over ten years of experience as an attorney and media specialist, has implemented successful campaigns and legal strategies for NEF. She has also provided counseling, enforcement, litigation support and rulemaking for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and municipalities, agencies, startups, and nonprofits. She earned a JD from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law and a BA from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Maya has garnered awards for her films and legal work.


Roger Kuttan, Director of Strategy

Roger Kuttan has decades of experience in business, counseling, and investment. He devised key strategies to expand NEF’s reach and effectiveness. A U.S Presidential Honoree, Roger earned from Stanford University, a JD with concentrations in Corporate and International Law, and an MBA where he completed the Global Management and Public Management Programs. Showing incredible achievement from a young age, he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Finance, specializing in statistics, from American University at 18, and was awarded the Volvo Tennis Athlete/Scholar of the Year Award.


Supt. Art Stellar, NEF Vice-President

Dr. Stellar is a seasoned superintendent. He is nationally known as an author of 60 plus articles on education, and a former national president of Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). He has served as a superintendent in many states including MA, OK and NC. Dr. Stellar provides QZAB assistance to school superintendents and their curriculum, business, technology and facilities deputies. He knows how to structure the QZAB. His loyalty is to the profession and fellow superintendents. He understands their world, and how difficult it is for them to find funds. He has an open invitation to superintendents across the US and their deputies to invest 5 minutes with him to learn about receiving millions of QZAB dollars to meet their urgent priorities.A