The SDD team is led by its Founder-President Mr. M. Manavalan. He has been working on a host of community development programmes for more than two decades. An ardent activist in matters relating to Dalit emancipation and education, he has been spearheading SDD since its inception and been instrumental in ensuring that SDD becomes a real social change-agent of note within its command area.

Mr. Manavalan is a member of the National Alliance for School Choice, an initiative that focuses on ensuring proper schooling for children belonging to the weaker sections. Besides Mr. Manavalan, SDD also boasts of a host of volunteers who are doing their best to take education on serious note to the door-steps of the depressed sections living in and around Chetpet. It is through these committed volunteers SDD has been running its "Education First!" Campaign driving home the message to the weaker sections within its command area that there is no better passport to emancipation, empowerment and prosperity than Education.