EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sunita has worked for over 30 years in women’s rights and human rights organizations. Sunita co-founded Hindus for Human Rights in June 2019, and also serves as a board member.

In 2001, Sunita co-founded the international women’s human rights organization, Women for Afghan Women (WAW), and served as Board Chair of WAW until January 2022. She has been an advisory board member to Unfreeze Afghanistan since its inception in September 2021, and cofounded Abaad: Afghan Women Forward in August 2022. Sunita has edited "Women for Afghan Women: Shattering Myths and Claiming the Future” (Palgrave McMillan, 2003), a book of essays. For her work with WAW, Sunita was awarded the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Global Women’s Rights Award in 2011. Sunita co-founded Sadhana in 2011 in order to mobilize Hindu Americans to connect their faith to social justice and human rights, and serves on Sadhana’s Executive Board. She was honored by President Obama at the White House in 2015 as a “Champion of Change” for her work with Sadhana. In 2021, Sunita was recognized by Center for American Progress as one of 21 “faith leaders to watch.” Previously, Sunita worked with The Sister Fund and the Funders Concerned About AIDS. Sunita is a board member of Amnesty International-USA. She is an advisory board member of Population Media Center, which uses entertainment-education and mass media to promote social and cultural change. Sunita is a board member of Dalit Solidarity Forum. Sunita is one of five Hindus appointed to NYC Mayor-Elect Eric Adams’ Faith Transition Team; and the only Hindu in the December 2021 Marquis Who’s Who list of faith-based influencers. Sunita lives in Brooklyn, NY and Taos, NM with her husband Stephan Shaw, their sons Satya, Akash and Gautama, and her parents.

SENIOR POLICY DIRECTOR

Through her work, Ria has focused on understanding the effects of US foreign policy on communities worldwide. She recently worked for the Armed Conflict Location and Events Data Project, where she researched political violence in the United States. She conducted her own research on the 2019 wave of democratic protests published by the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Journal of Global Affairs.

Ria is also passionate about creating political momentum for human rights and social justice policies. This passion led her to work in various positions in the United States Senate and the World Health Organization. She graduated from the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas with a Masters of Global Policy Studies and a concentration in International Development. She earned her B.A. in Government and International Relations.

You can contact her at: ria@hindusforhumanrights.org

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

David focuses on using communication technologies to amplify the efforts of community institutions and justice-based organizations. From activist work with South Asian AIDS Action (SAAA) and the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association (SALGA) through media production as Communications Director for Third World Newsreel, David has concentrated on creating and disseminating media by and about people of color, their organizations and communities - across differences of race/ethnicity, culture, faith, gender, sexual orientation, age, and ability - emphasizing strategies that bridge the online/offline divide and fuel action and engagement.

You can contact David at: david@hindusforhumanrights.org.

DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH & ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS

He is a writer, researcher, and cultural critic whose work has appeared in The Drift, The Nation, Jacobin, and Electric Literature, among other outlets. He also runs the Substack blog culture shock, where he writes about everything from the climate crisis to South Asian diasporic identity.

Pranay recently completed a MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where his dissertation research focused on preventive detention and the legacies of colonial rule in postcolonial India. Prior to studying at LSE, Pranay worked at HfHR as Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator. He received his B.A. in Political Science and International Affairs in 2022 from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.

You can contact Pranay at: pranay@hindusforhumanrights.org.

OPERATIONS & EVENTS MANAGER

Thrisha’s previous work has spanned labor and political organizing work in Seattle and Washington DC. She has most recently worked on reproductive issues at NAPAWF, labor organizing with the Campaign Workers Guild and IUPAT, and organizing for local candidates in Seattle.

In addition to organizing, she completed her B.A. in Literature and Economics at American University. Her senior thesis researched the impact of mythological and historical Amar Chitra Katha comics on the South Asian diaspora in the United States.

You can contact Thrisha at: thrisha@hindusforhumanrights.org

CAMPUS FELLOWSHIP COORDINATOR

Nancy is currently studying to earn her master’s degree in American studies from Columbia University at the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. Nancy’s focus is on deconstructing common narratives through an understanding of history in order to open up new possibilities for the future. Through her involvement and leadership with organizations such as the Spittoon Literary Collective and the American Students Association at Tsinghua University, she has worked to connect people from different cultures and communities through their passions, highlighting the shared humanity in all of us.

UK ORGANIZER

Rajiv is,based in London, England. He is working on outreach, advocacy, research, and fundraising in the United Kingdom.

Rajiv is building a network of people, communities, and organizations across the country that is aligned with Hindus for Human Rights and an inclusive, loving Hindu way of life. He has a Masters’ degree in international politics, specialising in conflict, human rights, and governance, as well as experience as a nonprofit board trustee and in the private sector.

You can contact Rajiv at: rajiv@hindusforhumanrights.org

ORGANIZING CONSULTANT

Rohan is a Hindu storyteller and aspiring clean comedian who together in October 2011 with a group of misfits co-founded a liberal nonprofit called Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus. Things have never stopped for him since then. Most recently, ending in August 2022, Rohan served as the first ever South Asian Liaison in the Community Affairs Unit (CAU) under former Mayor Bill de Blasio at New York City Hall. Now a consumer education liaison for the State of New York, Rohan spends his free time building out a clandestine chess community in South Ozone Park, Queens. Expect many exciting stories rising out of Rohan’s future work as a Consultant with Hindus for Human Rights.

You can contact Rohan at: rohan@hindusforhumanrights.org

COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH ASSOCIATE

Faria is fascinated by the intersection of storytelling, mental health, and women’s rights. In 2021, Faria co-founded Girl, You Can!, a feminist, trauma-informed non-profit that mentors vulnerable women throughout Philadelphia.

Holding a B.A. in Human Rights from the College of William & Mary, Faria recently obtained her MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics. Her dissertation analysed Silicon Valley’s collaboration with the Department of Defence in creating AI-based weaponry, emphasising its human rights implications. Post-graduation, Faria worked with women in contact with the criminal justice system at Advance Charity.

Faria is passionate about marginalised communities reclaiming their narratives and telling stories as a means of political liberation. She is enthusiastic about bringing this ethos to HfHR.

You can contact Faria at: faria@hindusforhumanrights.org

NYC ADVOCACY ORGANIZER

Nikhil’s work began as a youth empowerment program manager, working directly with students in Colorado, California, Washington, DC as well as New York City. His transition to HfHR represents a merging of his interests and experiences in local organizing spaces around the country and a deep desire to engage in culturally sustaining work within the Desi diaspora while simultaneously holding it accountable for the collective liberation of all marginalized communities.

Nikhil holds B.A.s in Economics and International Affairs from James Madison University and an M.A. in Education Advocacy and Policy from Georgetown University, where his research focused on theorizing a critical comparative media studies curriculum for adolescent Desi-American students.

You can contact Nikhil at: nikhil.a@hindusforhumanrights.org

BAY AREA COMMUNITY ORANIZER

Prior to joining HfHR, Vivek worked for a decade in law and politics, including as a public defender in Oklahoma, and as a press secretary on Senator Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. He is passionate about social justice and loves movies.

Vivek received a B.A. in History from Yale College, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

You can contact Vivek at: vivek@hindusforhumanrights.org