Our Leadership

Our team is formed by young people from around the world, united by the shared mission of advancing menstrual equity and health globally.

Elise Tao

Founder & CEO

Elise Tao is a Harvard student and 19-year-old entrepreneur, activist, writer, and model from New Jersey. She created the Menstrual Equity Initiative (měi), which also happens to be her project for the 2025 United Nations Academic Impact Millennium Fellowship, as a response to the societal stigmatization of women's bodies and issues she's faced with her own menstrual health. She wanted to merge the power of education, media, literature, research, and advocacy into one organization dedicated to uplifting people who menstruate all across the world. In addition to founding the menstrual equity initiative (měi) and leading the Perrin Research Institution, she founded the Global Digital Magazine Synthesis Publications when she was 14 and has appeared in numerous publications, including NBC, ABC, CBS, the Walt Disney Networks, the Coca-Cola scholarship press page, and more. She is involved with Everytown for Gun Safety's Students Demand Action, is the youngest intern for the Harvard Law Review, and is a reporter for the Harvard Crimson. She was named the 2024 distinguished young woman of New Jersey and is signed to top modeling agencies in NYC. She has given a TEDx talk on "The Art of Oversharing" and has served as one of few select judges for the 2025 National Scholastic Art and Writing Competition, where she won a gold medal for journalism in her senior year of high school. Elise is passionate about free press, women's rights, healthcare equity, putting an end to gun violence, the arts, self-expression, and the power of storytelling.

Afia Mubashir

Co-Executive Director of Management

Afia is a junior based in Princeton who is interested in AI safety and local governance. She has contributed to local campaigns through writing policies on healthcare and affordability, as well as legislative research. She has headed efforts to reform youth policymaking in the U.S. government at Whitestone Legislative Advocacy, an NGO recognized by the UN. Afia also leads academic research into youth interactions with emotional AI systems at Unmuted, where she identifies and analyzes psychological AI risks. Afia is a motivated Executive Director of Management at měi with a huge contribution to legislation and organization!

Shaveni

Co-Executive Director of Management & Division Representative

Shaveni is the official Division Representative and Co-Executive Director of Management at the Menstrual Equity Initiative. She is currently majoring in finance at the University of Hong Kong. Her leadership experience sets her apart in helping ensure day to day processes run effectively here at MĚI. She has given a TEDx talk on “the Leadership Behind Self Success”, and is a founding member of the AscensionU Nexus Community, an elite performance organisation. She has held roles as Production Director of the Core Team, Merchandise Designer and Outreach Worker of Xinsai Magazine. She has previously worked with Elise at Synthesis Publications as a traditional artist and has numerous pieces published. She is also professionally qualified in UX/ UI design by Google. Furthermore, she has received tens of thousands in scholarships from organisations such as Immerse Education to study at summer programmes at prestigious institutions such as Oxford University. She graduated her high school as Head of School with a scholarship. With over a hundred hours of registered community service, she has always been committed to utilising leadership to advance the lives of others. Shaveni is an advocate for women's rights, education and gender equality. She holds MĚI close to her heart and can’t wait to see the difference it makes in the world.

Shreshta Aggarwal

Executive Director of Volunteers

Shreshtha is a senior at Enloe Magnet High School in North Carolina passionate about public policy, economics, and business. She serves on her local teen council, works with the Red Cross on raising awareness for different topics of international humanitarian law, and tutors students in her free time. She plays the piano and violin at a high-commitment level, making her extremely well-rounded. Shreshtha is passionate about collaborating with all volunteers at měi to help create a substantial impact!

Anisha Arvind

Co-Executive Director of Legal Research

Anisha is a junior at Washington Connections Academy and serves at měi as one of the Legal Research Directors. Outside of měi, Anisha can be found writing articles and obsessing over psychology. She loves volunteering and building projects that make a difference. Anisha is passionate about měi because she believes that no one should have to choose between their education and their health. She wants to help create a world where menstrual products are as accessible as pencils in a classroom.

Ayushmaan Mukherjee

Co-Executive Director of Legal Research

Ayushmaan is a senior at Bridgewater-Raritan High School in New Jersey with a passion for policy research, advocacy, journalism, and economics. He has won international awards through Model UN and reached thousands of viewers through virtual conferences, competitions, journalism, and high-level interviews. Additionally, Ayushmaan is an eight-year pianist, having performed at Carnegie Hall and Harvard. Ayushmaan wishes to make societal structures more suitable for everyone through political economics!

Aiyana Bage

Executive Director of Medical Research

Aiyana attends Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and is a commended youth leader, debater, and author of both medical and public policy research. Throughout her life, Aiyana has thrived in various competitions and passions, ranging from being a 3x national qualifier and leader of the International TSA to authoring several research papers on the intersection of AI and neuroscience through the Nexus AI Fellowship. Aiyana is working towards building a more equitable, sustainable, and accessible future for our planetary ecosystem and beyond!

Marlee Tepper

Co-Executive Director of Empirical Studies

Marlee is a medical science student who is currently completing her undergrad. She has volunteered with local hospitals and is currently a research student within Toronto's hospital network. Marlee currently has work experience in finance and sales. She has field experience in lung transplantation and surgical experimentation and research. She aims to have a career in women's reproductive healthcare! She is passionate about her role as Director of Empirical Studies at měi, where she hopes to improve understanding of women’s reproductive health!

Elias Eid

Co-Executive Director of Medical Research

Elias is a senior at Trumbull High School who is very interested in healthcare and policy. He's spent time shadowing doctors and doing medical research in person. When he's not thinking about healthcare, you'll probably find him swimming, playing tennis, or running 5Ks. Elias is President of his school's Forensics Club and HOSA chapter, alongside his membership in seven honor societies. He has placed in DECA and FBLA state competitions. Elias is beyond excited to pursue a future in medicine and is excited to contribute his knowledge and dedication as an executive director at měi!

Livia Kam

Co-Executive Director of Bill Writing

Livia is a senior from Moorestown Friends School in New Jersey with a passion for advocacy, journalism, and policymaking. She is the Editor-in-Chief of her school’s newspaper and an advocate for student press rights legislation. She also leads TEDxMFS, South Jersey's only active youth event in 2025, where she talks about mindfulness and music. She is New Jersey’s sole representative to the Al Neuharth Journalism Conference, in addition to winning 2nd place in the National Scholastic Press Association’s multimedia news category. As the Executive Director of Bill Writing, Livia is passionate about advocating for women's rights through tangible change: legislation!

Stanley Zhou

Co-Executive Director of Bill Writing

Stanley is a 17-year-old student at Marc Garneau C.I. in Toronto. Outside of school, Stanley is passionate about research and advocacy, especially in policy and economic fields. He has worked on projects involving gender-quota legislation and corporate boards. Stanley is beyond excited to work with the Menstrual Equity Initiative on the legal research and legislation side while making an impact on women's health!

Jia Patel

Co-Executive Director of Legislative Mapping

Jia is a political science student at Michigan State University with a focus on the intersection of policy, education, and research. She currently serves on the board of trustees for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, a philanthropic organization dedicated to funding programs for youth. Jia founded the Political Telegram, an organization that publishes articles for youth, written by youth. Jia is dedicated to making positive change through legislation and policy that aid women and youth!

Izabella Piatkowski

Co-Executive Director of Legislative Mapping

Iza Piatkowski is a freshman at Brown University studying political science & English. She is passionate about journalism and storytelling. She advocates for causes including menstrual equity, eradicating illiteracy, promoting the arts, keeping AI safe and ethical, and civic engagement. Her creative writing has been published in multiple literary magazines and has been honored with a gold medal in flash fiction from the National Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. Iza is excited to get involved in organizations related to her advocacy work, academic interests, creative writing, and journalism!

Ayushmaan Mukherjee

Co-Executive Director of Content

Sanjana Bellur

Co-Executive Director of Social Media

Sanjana Bellur is a rising junior at Northern Burlington High School in New Jersey with a strong passion for economics, finance, music, and community service. She serves as an economic correspondent at Perrin Research Institute's policy division. She is the vice president of marketing for her local Sewa USA chapter, where she promotes community initiatives and has earned the presidential volunteer service award twice. She plays the alto saxophone in the Jersey Youth Orchestra, her school's selective jazz band, marching band, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society, and has performed at prestigious events such as the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference. She also has practiced taekwondo for 11 years and earned 2nd place at the national championships in her division before the pandemic. She currently serves as a taekwondo instructor. This past summer, she interned with the New Jersey General Assembly, working closely with her local assemblywoman to address community needs. She also collaborated with a Columbia University alumnus to train and test NLP models using sentiment analysis to predict stock market trends.

Natalie Nguyen

Executive Director of Growth Planning

Natalie is a senior at Nashua High School South and is a research associate focused on finance and psychology/neuroscience. She is President of Stuco and at midnight, a nonprofit that collects and resells prom dresses to make formalwear accessible for all. To further her self-capital in business, Natalie interns with iStart Valley and Ventured, gaining hands-on experience in business development and startup strategy. Natalie hopes to pursue a career that bridges cultures and empowers people!

Mihika Sakharpe

Co-Executive Director of Product

Mihika is a junior at the Math and Science Academy at Ocean Lakes High School and is passionate about STEM, education, aerospace engineering, and artificial intelligence. She has excelled in STEM programs at Harvard, NASA, and MIT; has built an admirable YouTube channel; and has earned multiple national journalism awards. Mihika has sung the national anthem at one of the largest global air shows, has achieved the rank of Cadet Captain in civil air patrol, and has translated talks for TEDx. Mihika aims to combine technical skills, leadership experience, and her love for learning to engineer solutions that create global impact.

Anvitaa Rudharraju

Co-Executive Director of Product

Anvitaa is a Research Associate at the Perrin Research Institute and a published researcher, robotics leader, and global youth advocate for technology, biomedical science, and space exploration. She works with NASA Wallops Flight Facility, is a member of a 3x world championship-qualifying robotics team, and leads outreach to promote women in STEM and robotics education. She is a youth global leader for the Harvard Vision Conference. Anvitaa continues to bridge leadership, research, and advocacy to build pathways for a more equitable and technologically advanced earth!

Michelle Chandra

Executive Director of Internal Finance

Michelle is pursuing international relations and journalism at Monash College Jakarta before continuing her studies at Monash University. She was the valedictorian of her high school and collected several academic awards. At the age of 13, Michelle began building a track record of leadership and volunteering across event planning, operations, journalism, and finance. Michelle is driven to use storytelling to shine a light on issues and communities that often get pushed to the margins!

Isabelle Qi

Executive Director of Grant Writing

Isabelle is a freshman at Wellesley College. She is a proud enthusiast for all things law, econ, tech, literature, and human rights. She is a dreamer, creator, reader, and writer! Outside of měi, Isabelle can be found making playlists, writing in her notebook, watching global tennis tournaments, and wandering around New England. Isabelle serves as the Executive Director of Grant Writing and Finance Division Representative at měi. She knows what it feels like to want stories and voices that look like you, sound like you, and make you feel seen, and she is dedicated to creating that for others!