The Ujala Foundation was established by Raj and Kamla Gupta after Raj’s retirement as Chairman and CEO of Rohm and Haas, where he built a distinguished 39-year career. Born in a small village in Uttar Pradesh, Raj came to the United States in 1968 with just $8 to pursue graduate studies, eventually earning degrees from IIT Bombay, Cornell University, and Drexel University. Over his career, he served on the boards of more than 20 major public and private companies, including Hewlett Packard, DuPont, Avantor, and Vanguard, and held long-term board chair roles at Delphi/Aptiv and Avantor.

Meaning “light” in Hindi, the Ujala Foundation focuses on advancing education and healthcare in both India and the United States. The Foundation has supported endowed professorships at Johns Hopkins, launched the Gupta Governance Institute at Drexel University, funded fellowships at Drexel and Cornell, and contributed to institutions such as IIT Bombay, Pratham, AIF, the Philadelphia Zoo, and the Franklin Institute. Its single largest commitment to date is the Johns Hopkins Gupta-Klinsky India Institute, reflecting the Foundation’s dedication to global impact in research, leadership, and innovation.