Our Team
Amanda Gujral
Co-Director of Volunteering
Amanda is a Registered Nurse at UT MD Anderson. She has always had the passion for helping others and this drove her decision to pursue a nursing career. Amanda would like to do more for others outside of the hospital and believes Minds Matter is the perfect organization for her. She is excited to be the Co-Vice President of Volunteer Recruitment and believes finding the best volunteer support system for the students is critical in the success of Minds Matter Houston. Amanda obtained a B.S. in Biology from Lafayette College and a B.S. in Nursing from NYU.
Purav Patel
Co-Director of Volunteering
Purav is an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company in Houston, TX. Prior to McKinsey, he was a Senior Consultant at PacWest Consulting Partners in Houston. Purav’s passion to help start Minds Matter and lead the recruitment of mentors for Minds Matter stemmed from a history of helping tutor fellow students in his high school and university. Purav also enjoys supporting non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and local food banks during his free time. Purav holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Neil Wingkun
Summer Programs Director
Chris Pecci
Programming Team Lead
Chris Pecci is a Business Manager for Chevron. At Chevron, Chris is accountable for economic, cost and schedule performance of oil and gas major capital projects offshore Latin America, Deepwater Gulf of Mexico and West Africa. Chris has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and a M.B.A. from Alaska Pacific University.
Juan Abreu
Programming Lead
Jennifer Yao
Programming Lead
Ivana Chen
Marketing Director
Nate Brown
Fundraising Director
Caldwell Bailey
Fundraising Director
Daniel Krause
Schools Director
Arsen Akopian
Schools Director
Arsen Akopian is a management consultant with Strategy&. As a first generation immigrant, Arsen cares about connecting people with opportunities. He is dedicated to tackling the knowledge gap that exists for immigrant and lower income communities. Arsen's volunteer experience is focused on this gap - he has performed pro bono consulting services for local businesses and not-for-profits and free tax services for lower income families. Arsen holds a Masters in Professional Accounting and a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Texas. He is an active CPA in Texas and enjoys merging his business background with the needs of his community.