Dr. S.K. Dash
Chancellor of JKU and Chairman, Board of Governors
Dr. S.K. Dash (Sita Kantha Dash) is a globally recognized scientist, visionary, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is a founder of the probiotics industry worldwide and has made it his life’s mission to research and promote the benefits of probiotics. Dr. Dash established UAS Laboratories, a developer and marketer of innovative probiotic products. Since the company’s founding in 1979, it has become known as a world’s top probiotics company. Dr. Dash has been instrumental in growing the probiotics industry from a $10 million-a-year to a $45 billion-a-year industry, and the field continues to grow at a rapid pace.
Dr. Dash received a Ph.D. in nutrition and biochemistry from South Dakota State University (USA) in 1973. Dr. Dash subsequently furthered his education by earning a Doctor of Science in probiotic research from Utkal University in India.
Prior to establishing UAS Laboratories in 1979, he worked as the director of the Food and Drug for the state of South Dakota.
Over the years, Dr. Dash has utilized his knowledge and experience to author several publications. He wrote “The Consumer’s Guide to Probiotics” and “Health Benefits of Probiotics,” and co-wrote “User’s Guide to Probiotics” and “The Garden Within.” Dr. Dash has also penned more than 40 research articles. Dr. Dash has shared his expertise in adjunct professorship positions at both Minnesota State University and South Dakota State University. He recently established the Dr. S. K. Dash Probiotic & Prebiotic Innovation Center for Excellence and Endowed Professorship at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar (India) and South Dakota State University (USA).
An active philanthropist, Dr. Dash has also been integral in the establishment of several universities, hospitals, schools and orphanages for the needy around the world. He served as a director of Kalinga Hospital in Bhubaneswar, India, director of the Hospital Corporation of Odisha, president of the Odisha Society of Americas, and Chairman of the Kalinga HCO Foundation. Other positions that Dr. Dash has held include director of the International Probiotics Association, Chairman of the Hindu Society of Minnesota, director of the India Association of Minnesota, and founder and chairman of the Dr. Dash Foundation (USA). He is the founder of the SKBET center in IIT Bhubaneswar. He is actively participating to promote the Jagannath culture across the globe. He inspires to work innovatively for the mankind and is a role model and hero for millions of youths across the
globe.
Dr. Dash has received numerous national and international awards for his accomplishments in the fields of probiotics, science, technology, and philanthropy, including being recognized as Distinguished Man of the Year. Other honors include, but are not limited to the Lifetime Achievement Award from the State of Minnesota (USA) in 2018, distinguished Odiya award from the President of India in 2017, the Distinguished Alumni Award from South Dakota State University in 2014, and the 2010 Probiotic Award from Frost & Sullivan, India Association of Minnesota (USA) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009, Odisha Society of the Americas in 2000 and the Outstanding Man of the Year by the Hindu Society of Minnesota in 1998.
Dr. S.Ramaratnam
Vice Chancellor
Dr. Ajit Kumar Tripathy
Retired Chief Secretary, Govt. of Odisha
Swami Mukundananda
President of the Sponsoring Trust – JKYT
Shri Harish Rangacharya
Industrialist
Madhusudan Mishra
Registrar, JKU. IAS (Retd).
Shri Madhusudan Mishra is an ingenious retired IAS officer of the 2005 batch. He was Additional secretary to Govt of Home Department (2019 – 2020). He has also served as Collector and DM Nayagarh (2013 – 2014), Collector and DM Boudh (2014 – 2018) and Collector & DM Sonepur (2018 – 2019). He has completed his graduation from Utkal University, Post Graduation from Delhi University and MPhil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Initially, he joined as a lecturer, then in state civil service and ultimately in Indian Administrative Services.
During 33 years of service, he has served in many different roles and capacities including Private Secretary to Government Chief Whip in the Odisha Legislative Assembly (2000-2004), Under Secretary Science & Technology Department, Government of Odisha (2004-2008), Private Secretary to Honourable Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly (2009-2012), and Director of Rehabilitation & Resettlement, Department of Water Resources, Government of Odisha (2013-2014).
Mr Mishra is passionate about growing and improving education in India, empowering women, social upliftment of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), and the Panchayatraj. He believes in working from the grassroot level to bring about successful, scalable, and sustainable change in society. With this philosophy as the foundation of his thought process, he has consistently been awarded by the Odisha Government for his various initiatives to improve the livelihoods of the villages and districts he served.
In the field of Administration, he has contributed extra ordinary service with utmost perfection for better delivery of public service. As an Addl Secy of Home Department he was the pioneer in processing of online application for delivery of fire safety certificate. He has also conducted simultaneous general elections 2014 in Nayagarh district as Collector & DM although this district was affected by left wing extremist activities. For this, he had received letter of appreciation from the then incumbent Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha.
During his tenure as Collector and DM Sonepur and Boudh the Railway infrastructure project, construction of District Headquarter Hospital and MCH were his major contributions. These districts also received Kaya Kalpa award from the State Government for outstanding work in health sector. The model created by him for payment of old age pension was highly appreciated by the state government. These districts were also awarded by the state government in the field of breaking the tradition of child marriage and providing the best facilities to PwDS. A lot of commendable works were also done in the field of health, education, communication, agriculture, irrigation, public distribution system, poverty eradication, employment opportunity, skill development, rural and urban housing, land to the homeless people, SBM, citizen centric administration and implementation of 5Ts and online application of almost all public services and delivery of service at the doorstep. In 2017 – 18, due to his sincere efforts, Boudh district was selected for National award for MGNREGS and it was conferred at New Delhi by the Honourable Central Minister.
Last but not the least, in Sonepur District, the simultaneous general election 2019 was also conducted peacefully during his tenure. Besides, this district was awarded at the state level for student saving scheme and for considerable reduction of malaria in the district. At present, Shri Mishra is also continuing as honorary guest faculty and resource person in Gopabandhu Academy of Administration, Madhusudan Institute of Accounts and Finance, Revenue Officers’ Training Institute and Secretariat Training Institute, Bhubaneswar to impart training to the newly recruited officers.
Dr. Satyavrat Shastri
(Ex-Vice Chancellor of Shri Jagannath Sanskrit University)
Shri Shiv Kumar
(Educationalist, New Delhi)
Shri Ramprasad Nanda
(Industrialist, Cuttack, Trustee JKYT)