Madhavi Sekharam's Obituary
A TRIBUTE TO TAMPA BAY COMMUNITY LEADER DR. MADHAVI SEKHARAM
Tampa Bay community leader and education proponent Dr. Madhavi Sekharam, age 68, passed away on December 24th after a 2.5 year battle against colon cancer.
Madhavi showed staunch commitment to education, steadfast community values and service, which can be attributed to an upbringing within a family deeply rooted in progressiveness and strong principles. Born in Punadipadu in Andhra Pradesh, it was Chennai where she spent the majority of her youth as her father pursued a career in the movie industry. Education remained a cornerstone in her family, prioritized above all else. She completed her undergraduate studies in Chennai, Masters in Chemistry at Kanpur, and PhD in Biochemistry from Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) Mysore. It was also in Mysore that she met her future husband Dr. Sekharam Kotha, got married, and had daughter Anupama.
After securing a post-doctoral research opportunity in Knoxville, Tenn. (University of Tennessee), Madhavi was soon accompanied by Dr. Kotha. Their journey then led them to Gainesville, where she furthered her post-doctoral research at UF and had son Vikas.
In 1993, the family settled in Tampa where Madhavi would dedicate years to scientific research at Moffitt Cancer Research Center. Eventually, accompanied by her husband Dr. Kotha, Madhavi ventured into entrepreneurship and founded esteemed pet health manufacturing enterprise Florida Research Group LLC. The company supplies top-tier global pet health brands. Madhavi meticulously oversaw the business operations, ensuring an unwavering commitment to product quality.
While working full-time, she and husband Dr. Kotha managed the volunteer Sunday Gurukulam School at the USF campus for almost three decades while raising two children. She served as a leader, organizer, scheduler, counselor and motivator. The school not only provided education for hundreds of students each year, every Sunday for over 30 years but also fostered a sense of community and cultural integration for Indian families.
Madhavi's enduring commitment was evident through her unwavering support and continuous stewardship in key roles within several community organizations.
She cofounded Telugu Association of Florida (TAF), which started in 1998 with a handful of people which subsequently has grown into a prominent Telugu community group. For the North American Telugu Society, Madhavi was among the core five-member organizers to celebrate the first NATS conference in Orlando. She served as past chairwoman of Federation of Indian Association of Tampa Bay (FIA) and afterwards continued to provided guidance and support. She co-founded the Tampa Bay chapter of Akshaya Patra. She was the largest supporter of the Tampa chapter of North-South Foundation and played a key role in organizing the 2016 National Finals. She also was founding member of Gurukulam of Tampa Bay Toastmasters, as well as organizing weekly coaching for the national GEOBEE resulting in several national champions. She was an executive member and Angel donor of the charitable organization Awareness USA (www.awarenessusa.org).
Demonstrating the essence of a remarkable individual, she was a devoted wife and mother and dedicated herself to family and community. Her tireless efforts to humanity and unwavering commitment to community service set a standard and continue to inspire the community. While speaking at her son’s wedding recently, she mentioned that it takes a village to raise a family as an immigrant working in a new land. But it bears pointing out that she herself provided that support and guidance for countless individuals in the community.
She is survived by husband Dr. Kotha Sekharam, daughter Dr. Anu Kotha, son-in-law Dr. Arun Iyer and grandchildren Sumana and Teja, son Dr. Vikas Kotha and daughter-in-law Josephine, mother Girija Devi and sister Madhuri.
Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday December 30, 2023 at 11:30am at Trinity Memorial Gardens (12609 Memorial Drive, Trinity, FL 33655).
~ Tribute lovingly compiled by Shefali Rele (KhaasBaat)
To view services via livestream, follow the link below:
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