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Congress’ AAPI caucus taps Nisha Ramachandran as executive director

Ramachandran, a longtime community advocate and consultant, will make history as the first South Asian American to serve in the role.

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The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) will tap Nisha Ramachandran as its next executive director, the caucus announced Wednesday. 

The organization, which represents Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) lawmakers on Capitol Hill, has become more visible than ever this past year, and looks to continue its trajectory with Ramachandran at the helm.

The longtime community advocate and consultant, who previously worked as policy director for the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), is the first South Asian American to serve in the role, according to CAPAC.

She replaces Krystal Ka’ai, who left CAPAC earlier this month to lead the White House’s expanded Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI).

As executive director, Ramachandran will be tasked with advancing AAPI community interests in Congress under the leadership of CAPAC chair Rep. Judy Chu (D-California). Policy priorities include anti-Asian hate, voting rights, immigration, and more.

Ramachandran will be working closely with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to support Tri-Caucus priorities, and will help facilitate an AAPI engagement strategy with the Biden administration. As the federal government sets out to implement the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, she will play a vital role in ensuring that lawmakers hear and respond to different groups’ concerns.

“I’m very excited to welcome Nisha Ramachandran as the new executive director of CAPAC,” Chu said in a statement. “Her breadth of knowledge on the issues important to the community—from civil rights to healthcare—make Nisha the perfect leader to help guide CAPAC in this critical moment as we address the continuing problem of anti-Asian violence and work to rebuild after the coronavirus pandemic in a way that ensures AAPIs are included.”

Ramachandran has a wide-ranging history of legislative work, with specialties in U.S.-India relations, Indian diaspora communities, and Indian business interests. Under Rep. Ami Bera (D-California), she served as staff lead for Bera’s work on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. She has also advised ​​a myriad of AAPI groups including the Indian American Impact Project, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and United Chinese Americans.

“Nisha has nearly a decade of experience working within the AAPI community, including serving as an APAICS [Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies] fellow with my office,” Bera added. “I’m confident Nisha will be a great executive director and will play a valuable role in uplifting the AAPI community during this critical moment in our nation’s history.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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