Thankam was born and raised in Bangalore, India, and spent most of her adult life in Massachusetts, where she was a long-standing member and ordained elder of the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, Easton, MA. She received her undergraduate education in India, her MBA at Rutgers University, her M.Div. from Duke Divinity School, and completed a chaplaincy residency at WakeMed, Raleigh. With a long career in healthcare administration, she most recently served as Administrator and Head of Patient Care Services at a Mission Hospital in India, where she lived while she cared for her nonagenarian mother.
Daughter and granddaughter of three Protestant ministers, Thankam’s life has been profoundly shaped by her ancestral Christian nurture and life experiences. Fired by deep faith, an enormous capacity for love, and a conviction that this precious life is to be lived with meaning and purpose for God and for our “neighbor,” Thankam is passionate about pouring into her community the joy, peace, and love that she has been blessed to receive. She loves making friends, developing meaningful relationships, working with diverse and vulnerable people in dynamic and/or challenging situations, and coaching/mentoring women. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and travel; she loves nature and wildlife.
