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
DEEPA SHARMA
Deepa Sharma is an experienced public agency lawyer with a passion for public service. As an attorney, she provides advice to agency staff and officials on all matters facing public entities, including on cutting-edge constitutional law and land use issues, as well as affordable housing matters. In addition to providing advice and counsel, Ms. Sharma is a skilled litigator, and has secured numerous victories for her clients in the courtroom. In 2020, she served as the Communications Co-Chair for South Asians for Biden, where she crafted strategy and messaging to mobilize the South Asian community to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket.
Since 2011, Ms. Sharma has served on the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party's Asian/ Pacific Islander Caucus, where she aids the Party's efforts to reach out to voters and increase the numbers of APIs running for office. She has also served as policy aide in the California State Legislature where she helped pass legislation and built coalitions around the members' legislative priorities.
A proud Californian, Ms. Sharma was inspired to enter the political arena to encourage voter participation and increase representation for women and communities of color in the decision-making process.
