LEXINGTON, MA– Vision-Aid announced that Leader Bank founder and CEO Sushil Tuli will be the Chief Guest and keynote speaker for Vision-Aid’s 2023 annual event on Sunday, July 23, 2023 at 4:00 PM EST in Littleton, MA.
Mr. Tuli has been one of the leading figures in financial services in Massachusetts for nearly thirty-five years. He founded Leader Bank in May of 2002, opening a single branch in East Arlington with seven employees and $6.5 million in assets. Mr. Tuli has guided Leader Bank to become one of the top community banks in the county, with well over 350 employees across seven full-service branches and three loan production centers, and approximately $4 billion in assets.
Since its founding, Mr. Tuli has grown all facets of Leader Bank’s business, with a particular focus on retail banking, residential mortgages and both commercial and small business lending.
Under Mr. Tuli’s leadership, Leader Bank has received both a 5-Star Superior Rating from Bauer Financial in every quarter since 2010 and an “A” or “Excellent” rating from Weiss Ratings every year since 2009. Mr. Tuli also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from TiE-Boston for his work mentoring and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses and was given a New England Choice Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 for his achievements in the financial services industry.
Mr. Tuli’s leadership extends beyond his work with Leader Bank, having served in 1999 as the Chairman of the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association, the largest mortgage banking industry association in New England. Mr. Tuli is currently serving as a Class A Director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and on the Board of Directors for the Boston Chamber of Commerce, and he also is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Mr. Tuli also recently served on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency and the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, as well as being a member of both the Massachusetts Home Ownership Advisory Committee and Fannie Mae’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council. He was recognized by Governor Baker for providing funding to support housing and businesses for the local community.
Mr. Tuli received a Master of Public Administration in 1975 from Punjab University in India and graduated from the Harvard Business School’s Owner, President and Management Program in 2010. Mr. Tuli was also recognized by Franklin Pierce University in 2018 with an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters for his contributions to the banking industry.
Speaking about the 2023 annual event Mr. Tuli said “As the Chief Guest of this remarkable Vision-Aid event, I am deeply moved by the collective dedication and unwavering commitment demonstrated by all those involved. Together, we are illuminating a path of hope, empowerment, and inclusivity for individuals facing visual challenges. With each step we take towards providing access to essential education, assistive visual aids and technology, we are enabling individuals to see the world anew, to embrace their full potential, and to participate fully in society.”
Welcoming the announcement, Ms. Veena Handa, Vice Chair of Vision-Aid said “We are deeply honored to have Mr. Sushil Tuli as our esteemed Chief Guest for this year’s annual Vision-Aid event. Mr. Tuli’s unwavering commitment to the cause of enhancing vision accessibility through different services offered by Vision-Aid especially, AI-powered Smart Vision Glasses has made a significant mark in the lives of visually impaired and blind to read, navigate and lead a life with independence and dignity. His exemplary philanthropic endeavors have left an incredible mark on our society. His visionary leadership and compassionate spirit have transformed countless lives, making him a true champion of empowerment and inclusivity. With his invaluable support, we have been able to expand our reach and impact the lives of visually impaired and blind in profound ways. As Vice Chair of Vision-Aid, I am humbled by his dedication and tireless advocacy, which have propelled our mission forward”.
About Vision-Aid’s 2023 Annual Event
Vision-Aid’s 2023 event will feature a unique and spectacular Broadway-style dance production “The Son of the Wind – the saga of Hanuman”, featuring over 50 dancers and several dance teachers from New England, working under the guidance of renowned and award-winning dance choreographer and producer from India, Kalaimamani Madurai R. Muralidaran. Boston area dance teachers – Jeyanthi Ghatraju and Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy, are the lead Artistic Directors for this year’s production.
Vision-Aid has acquired a reputation for bringing magnificent productions to Boston, year upon year for past 15 years, to thrill audiences, while raising funds to support its many programs for the visually impaired in India.
Funds raised from this year’s event will help to support Vision-Aid’s innovative programs at over 30 locations across India serving over 20,000 visually impaired. These programs include Vision-Aid centers of Excellence, at Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, the L.V.Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, Shroff Charity Eye Hospital in Delhi , Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai and Kolkata, Voluntary Health Services in Chennai, Community Eye Care Foundation in Pune among others.
Vision-Aid also runs enrichment programs for blind children in 20 blind schools across India. These centers offer world-class rehabilitation services and devices, to thousands of visually impaired across India freely or at highly subsidized costs.
Vision-Aid is known for many innovations in this space – including the Smart Vision Glasses, a new AI-powered innovation jointly brought to visually impaired in India by Vision-Aid and SHG Technologies.
Vision-Aid is a Lexington, MA based non-profit, founded in 2004 with a mission of enabling, educating, and empowering the visually impaired to live with independence and dignity. In addition to serving thousands of visually impaired across 30 locations in India, it has gained a reputation for its innovative and high-impact online and specialized programs. Several unique programs help to train the visually impaired to find gainful employment and live with independence and dignity. In addition to the revolutionary AI-powered Smart Vision Glasses being introduced last year, other example of innovation include the newly launched Digital Accessibility Testing and Training center which not only trains the visually impaired but also employs several of them to perform digital accessibility testing for a global client base, and this is just one example of its innovative offerings among a large portfolio which includes over a dozen specially designed training programs to level the playing field for the visually impaired
The Vision-Aid USA Leadership team includes Mr. Puran Dang (Chairman Emeritus), Mrs. Veena Handa (Vice Chair), Mr. Lalit Sudan (volunteer President) , Mr. Ramakrishna (Ram) Raju (Founder and Executive Director) and Revathy Ramakrishna (Co-Founder, VP) and a stellar constellation of over 30 leaders from the community with expertise in a wide range of areas from Opthalmology and Rehabilitation to Finance and Non-Profit Management.
About this year’s show
This year’s Broadway-style mega-show “The Son of the Wind – The saga of Hanuman” is set to dazzle audiences and raise the bar yet again. It is centered on the story and life of Lord Hanuman and presents many compelling aspects of this timeless Indian epic hero in a rich and vibrant choreography, produced by renowned choreographer Guru Madurai R. Muralidaran and Lead Artistic Directors Jeyanthi Ghatraju, Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy, assisted by Area Dance Teachers Dhanashree Madiwale-Karmakar, Sheetal Dwaraka, Kalaimangai Anbalgan and Radhika Narayanaswamy.
The team has been hard at work since last December, pulling together the brightest dance talent in the New England area – all of them graciously volunteering their time to support the cause.
This year’s event will follow a hybrid model and will include a live stage performance and a Zoom screening for audiences who can watch from the comfort of their home anywhere in US and Canada. English sub-titles and narration will make the show accessible to all.
For tickets and sponsorship details visit www.VisionAid.org/event.
