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
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JAY SUBRAMANIAM
Jay V. Subramaniam is the Founder and Managing Partner of Sea Link Ventures, a private investment firm acquiring small businesses for long term growth.
Prior to founding his firm, Jay was a business leader in startup and tech firms. Most notably, he served as CFO of Piramal Water, a for-profit social enterprise using technological solutions to provide clean drinking water to disenfranchised people in India. While living in India for three years, Jay led financial operations and growth initiatives to enhance Piramal Water’s financial stability and social impact.
Prior to his startup and tech career, Jay worked in public accounting at Deloitte in McLean, Virginia and then at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a Washington, DC-based regulator of audit firms. Prior to public accounting, Jay volunteered on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign and Rep. Jamie Raskin’s 2006 Maryland State Senate race.
Jay was born in Maryland’s PG Hospital and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he attended Springbrook High School. He received bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Accounting from the University of Maryland in College Park, where he served as President of the Indian Students Association. Jay later received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he served as a co-chair of Christians in Business.
Outside of work and SAFA, Jay enjoys NBA basketball, ballet, church, reading, and writing.