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
REPRESENTATIVE
NIMA KULKARNI
In 2018, Nima Kulkarni became the first Indian immigrant to be elected in the history of the Kentucky Legislature. She has also managed her own immigration law practice since 2010, helping others achieve the American Dream.
Nima has dedicated her time as a public servant to helping the most vulnerable Kentuckians. She has been able to stop harmful anti-immigrant legislation, as well as gain bipartisan support for a historic bill that would ensure a fair and equitable judicial process for all Kentuckians.
In 2019, Nima was asked to serve as the only Democratic legislator on the Public Assistance Reform Taskforce. She was the first legislator from Kentucky to be invited to join the 2019 Asian American Leadership Delegation program to Japan, one of just six (6) legislators asked to participate from across the country. She was also honored to be the first woman from Kentucky named as a New Deal Leader, a national group of rising state and local elected leaders who are pro-growth progressives.
Nima was named as one of a handful of Louisville leaders to serve on the Mayor’s Civilian Review Board Working Group, to achieve greater transparency, accountability, and trust between the community and law enforcement in the wake of Breonna Taylor’s death. She continues to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft comprehensive police reform legislation for Kentucky.
Nima is focused on issues of economic, social, racial, and environmental justice for all Kentuckians.
Most recently, she has sponsored legislation to decriminalize and fairly regulate adult cannabis use, establish a uniform bodycam policy for law enforcement, extend unemployment to domestic violence/stalking/sexual assault victims, create more equal footing between landlords and tenants, update Kentucky’s hate crime laws, and monitor and regulate “forever chemicals” in Kentucky’s drinking water. She is a progressive voice for her district, and works with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to create policy that empowers Kentuckians.
Nima serves on the House Standing Committees on Judiciary, Economic Development, Agriculture, and Banking & Insurance committees. She is a member of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus, and is the 2021 Kentucky State Lead for the National Council of Environmental Legislators.
