Janaka Abeysinghe
Chief Financial Officer
Janaka was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka. After graduating from high school in Sri Lanka, Janaka started working as a banking trainee for the Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, one of the biggest banks in Sri Lanka. In a short period of time, Janaka climbed the corporate ladder, becoming an executive officer at the bank. He later left his position to immigrate to the United States in 2009.
Janaka continued his banking career in the US by joining Wells Fargo, and today he works as a Senior Personal Financial Advocate for Kinecta Federal Credit Union. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Janaka chose to study full-time while working. He graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Los Angeles Pierce College in 2014, and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the California State University of Northridge in 2016.
In his free time, Janaka enjoys working with SLYO to give back to the community. He was SLYO’s inaugural Secretary, Treasurer from 2012-2014, Vice President in 2014, and currently, the Chief Financial Officer. Janaka is excited to use his talents to help SLYO achieve its mission of uniting youth in the community around social causes.
Eshan De Silva
Chief Technology Officer
Eshan, originally from Kandy, Sri Lanka, relocated to the United States at the age of 15 in 2010. He achieved an impressive 4.0 GPA during his high school years and pursued a degree in Computational and Applied Mathematics at California State University, Northridge. Throughout his academic journey, he actively engaged in football and various clubs alongside his studies.
After completing his education, Eshan embarked on a career in the financial sector, starting at Wells Fargo Bank. He later joined Premier America Credit Union as a Senior Financial Specialist, where he developed strong leadership skills. With his expertise in private banking, Eshan has since held notable positions at renowned financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase and First Republic Bank, focusing on personalized financial solutions and wealth management for high-net-worth clients.
Eshan’s passion lies in impact investing, employing investment strategies to generate financial returns while fostering positive social and environmental change. He brings his extensive expertise in finance, without any specific mention of cryptocurrency or blockchain, to his work. Furthermore, Eshan has been an instrumental part of the SLYO team since 2012, dedicated to making the organization a unifying force for young individuals within the community. He actively promotes social impact causes, leveraging his corporate experience to expand SLYO’s reach and inclusivity. His goal is to encourage youth from diverse backgrounds to find common ground in the pursuit of justice.
Senuri Dissanayake
Director of Operations
Apart from brief stints in Singapore and Australia, Sri Lanka is where Senuri grew up and called home. In fact, it was there that her passion for leadership and service was born, enabling her to serve as Senior Prefect and House Captain at her high school.
This passion would follow her as she crossed the Atlantic to pursue a 5-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) program, in the beautiful Caribbean Island of Grenada at St. George’s University School of Medicine. There, she grasped at opportunities to mentor and tutor fellow students and availed herself to serving the surrounding community. She currently resides in the New York/New Jersey area, where she is completing her final year clinical rotations.
Youth advocacy is not only at the core of her dream career as a pediatrician, but it is a part of who she is. At present, she serves as one of the Program Coordinators for Let’s Unpack It, a Caribbean youth mental health advocacy group. At SGU, she is a member of Student Government, where she plays an active role in easing the transition to clinical rotations for fellow students. She is always on the lookout for more avenues to empower and speak up for youth.
Through her involvement with SLYO she hopes to broaden the reach that the organization has within the Sri Lankan community while advocating for salient issues that impact youth.
In her free time, Senuri enjoys a long hike, nature photography, going to the gym, or a short trip to Starbucks.
