Indira Gunda Saladi elected to Illinois Institute of Technology board

Indian American president and founder of health care staffing company Orchard, Saladi has extensive experience mentoring women and immigrants

By Arun Kumar

Indira Gunda Saladi, Indian American founder and president of the health care staffing company Orchard, Inc., has been elected to the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) Board of Trustees.

With a career spanning early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies, Saladi, a former student of Illinois Tech, has not only led high-impact ventures, but also supported the next generation of women and immigrant leaders through mentorship and advocacy, according to a media release.

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“I am deeply honored to join the Illinois Institute of Technology Board of Trustees,” said Saladi. “Illinois Tech has been a fundamental part of my journey, and I am excited to give back by helping to create meaningful opportunities for students to thrive in technology and business. I am eager to work with Illinois Tech to build pathways for success for the next generation.”

Saladi’s career has been marked by her commitment to drive innovation and to mentor others, particularly women in technology and business, according to her profile. In addition to her work at Orchard—a rapidly growing health care staffing company based in Glencoe, Illinois—Saladi is also a limited partner in an early-stage fund, where she champions women, immigrant, and technology-led ventures in underserved markets. Saladi’s aid to women-led firms goes far beyond the financial, as she provides strategic advice and hands-on guidance to startups.

“Our whole Illinois Tech community is profoundly honored that Indira is joining the Board of Trustees,” said Illinois Tech President Raj Echambadi. “As an alum, she knows firsthand the transformative power of an Illinois Tech education. Indira is not only a visionary leader in business and technology, but also a dedicated mentor who has inspired and empowered countless others to pursue their dreams in tech. Her impact will resonate deeply within our community.”

Saladi’s commitment to the next generation of innovators and tech-savvy leaders extends beyond her professional role and has been influenced by her father, Satyanarayana (Sam) Gunda, Illinois Tech alumnus, personal computer pioneer, and immigrant.

After his passing in 2020, Saladi and her mother established the Satyanarayana (Sam) Gunda International Student Thanksgiving Celebration Fund, which annually hosts international students for Thanksgiving, fostering a spirit of inclusion and gratitude, and inspiring the international students to become their best selves.

Saladi began her career as a computer engineer for Motorola (1990–95) and has carried that tech expertise at every stage in her career, including as chief intellectual property counsel at Zebra Technologies Corp. (2012–14), director of patents at Accenture LLP (2015–16), and general counsel and chief human resources officer at Neelyx Labs, Inc. (2020–present).

Her work has often involved leveraging pioneering global expertise to streamline operations, drive cost efficiency, and foster global innovation—a skill she applied while advising startups and multinational corporations. She also serves as an adviser and board member to various health care and medical companies, as well as taking an active role as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship at Illinois Tech.

“Indira’s leadership and success in law and business are a testament to the impact Illinois Tech has on its alumni and their careers,” said Michael P. Galvin, chair of the Illinois Tech Board of Trustees. “Her dedication to mentorship, as well as her remarkable achievements will be a source of inspiration for our students and our community.”

In addition to her master’s in electrical engineering from Illinois Tech, Saladi received a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago. She established the Indira Gunda Saladi Engineering Prize at UIUC to encourage, give visibility to, and reward undergraduate engineering students who have also chosen to pursue research as a career.

First published in American Bazaar.