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
SOMNATH GHIMIRE
A Resident of Woodside, Queens since 1996, Somnath Ghimire has been actively involved in Democratic politics and campaigns in addition to serving as a leader in the Nepali American community for more than 2 decades.
In addition to serving as SAFA's State Director in New York, Somnath currently serves as President of Girija Prasad Koirala Foundation America, (www.gpkf.org.np) as well as the President of the Jackson Heights Chapter of Alliance of South Asian American Labor (ASAAL). He also serves as Global Program Manager of International Institute for Human Rights, Environment and Development (INHURED INTERNATIONAL) and has traveled to 22 countries on human rights missions.
Previously, he worked as Census Field Supervisor for the 2020 Census, and served in many leadership positions in the Nepali American community including as President of Nepalese Public Relations Committee America. Additionally, Somnath has been a volunteer on many Democratic campaigns at the national, state and local levels including the Presidential campaigns of President Biden, Obama and Clinton.
Somnath is excited to mobilize the South Asian community in New York to turn out the Democratic vote in the state.