The National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA) has elected Lavanya Reddy to lead the organization as President for the 2022 board term.
All board members were elected unopposed except for two positions; Treasurer & Regional Vice President (South Pacific), a Feb. 10 press release from NFIA said. The oath ceremony of the newly elected board members was conducted via virtual video conference by Dr. Thomas Abraham, the founder and past president of NFIA.
Following the oath ceremony, a motion was unanimously passed to appoint Dr. Hari Har Singh as the NFIA Executive Director. Babu K. Patel was elected Chairman of the board. The newly-elected team will focus on being truly representative of the entire Indian American community, working alongside members to learn more about how NFIA can better serve them – including their communities and businesses, the organization said.
Reddy shared her goals as President saying she wants to provide local NFIA leaders with the support and tools to revitalize their communities. Setting up new committees for various demographics is a large component of the action plan. Through the creation of groups for youth, women, business owners, technology innovators and politicians, she believes NFIA can create better opportunities to network while also providing opportunities for mentorship, particularly important for younger generations.
A longtime resident of Seattle, Washington, Reddy has been an active member of the Indian community for decades; she is the founder and former president of the Federations of Indian American organizations of Washington, has served as president of Washington Telugu Samithi for two consecutive years, and is an active board member of many local organizations including NW Share, Women of Wisdom and Ambassadors of Peace Washington.
Reddy is a Montessori teacher by profession, teaching for more than 40 years. She is also the founder of the SMR educational and cultural foundation. She and her husband Dr. Raghava Reddy have two children, Rama and Mayuri, and a grandchild named Rumi. In her spare time she loves to cook, travel, meditate, and spend time with family and friend
List of board members elected:
| President | Lavanya R. Reddy (Seattle, WA) |
| Executive Vice President | Raj Razdan (Atlanta, GA) |
| Vice President (3) | Aparna Hande (CA) Satish Parikh (OH), Dr. Makam Subbarao (CA) |
| Treasurer | Om P. Sharma (DC) |
| Secretary | Ashok (Pat) Patnaik, (Cerritos, CA) |
| Joint Secretary | Prashanti Harathi, (Portland, OR) |
|
Directors-At-Large
|
Sudip Gorakshakar, Kamlesh Munshi, Vamshi R. Kancharakuntala, Dr. Sukrit Mukherjee, Gope Gidwani, Geeta Sunkara, |
|
RVP North Pacific |
Chandrasena Sriramoju |
| RVP South Pacific | Vasu Pawar |
| RVP New York | Gunjan R. Rastogi |
| RVP Southeast (GA) | Shashi Sidhaye |
| RVP Capital, DC | Lalita Kaul |
| RVP Central (Illinois) | Satish Gabhawala |
| RVP Southwest | Anna Prakash |
|
Admin/Executive Director |
Dr. Hari Har Singh (DC) |
Chair NFIA Foundation Mr Babu K Patel (IL)
The NFIA describes itself as the largest non-profit umbrella organization for Indian associations in the United States and was established in 1980. (nfiaweb.org).
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