Community Conversation
with Farooq Mitha
NEHA DEWAN
Neha has long been active in both local and national politics. Most recently, she founded and served as the National Director for South Asians for Biden, an organization dedicated to engaging, educating, and mobilizing the South Asian community to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. In 2016, Neha served as the National Co-Chair for South Asians for Hillary and was appointed by Hillary Clinton to the National AAPI Leadership Council.
Previously, in 2015, Neha was appointed as a guest of honor by the Consulate General of India in New York City where she was selected to speak about gender equality for International Women's Day. During the 2012 presidential campaign, Neha chaired the New York Chapter of South Asians for Obama and also served on the steering committee for Lawyers for Obama in New York. For several years, Neha served as an Officer of the New York Democratic Lawyers Council, an organization affiliated with the National Lawyers Council of the Democratic National Committee and comprised of Democratic lawyers and voting rights activists. Similarly, for many years, Neha served as an advisory board member of New Leaders Council, a national organization focused on training and supporting progressive political entrepreneurs. She has also been active in her local community board and political clubs. Neha served as the President of the South Asian Bar Association of New York in 2012, and now sits on the organization’s Board of Directors.
Mobilizing the South Asian Community & Building Political Power
ASEEM CHIPALKATTI
Aseem Chipalkatti is a recent law grad and South Asian community organizer who is proud to be a part of the SAFA team and helping make sure its work gets done. He joins SAFA after spending time with South Asians for Biden as its Data Manager. Aseem also is the co-founder and immediate past Board President of South Asian Americans for Washington (saatwa.org), which advocates for South Asian civic education, engagement, and empowerment in his home of Washington State. Within the realm of law and policy, Aseem is working towards a career in affirmative litigation, with a focus on ensuring the rights of those traditionally and historically marginalized in this country. Before law school, Aseem was a political and communications consultant, and has worked on elections in Philadelphia, Sacramento, and the Greater Seattle Area. As a Venture for America alumnus, Aseem has worked for startups in both Philadelphia and St. Louis (both of which will always hold a special place in his heart). He received a BA from Claremont McKenna College in 2015, and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021. He has yet to meet a pani puri that didn’t live up to expectations.