Shobhana Johri Verma
Executive Director
Shobhana brings to the South Asian American Policy and Research Institute a unique blend of public policy, outreach, advocacy and public relations experience.
Most recently she has built and also led one of the first and most effective South Asian Voter Engagement Programs at the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners that has helped unprecedented numbers of South Asian Americans in the city exercise their right to vote by participating in the electoral process. Prior to joining the Chicago Election Board, Shobhana held numerous roles as a researcher, educator and journalist advocating for environmental causes and gender and immigrant interests, including challenging roles supporting victims of sexual exploitation, human trafficking and domestic violence. She has written for and been published in both the digital and print media in both, the United States and India. Shobhana holds two Masters Degrees in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati and Lucknow University. She is a certified Sexual Violence Prevention Educator and is trained in Medical and Legal Advocacy. She is a past student board member of the Cincinnati Chapter of Planned Parenthood. Shobhana was recently appointed to the Asian American Family Commission by the Illinois Senate President. The commission advises the governor, General Assembly and state agencies how to best improve and expand services and opportunities for Asian American families in Illinois. A former member of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations Advisory Council on Equity that advises the Mayor and City Council of Chicago on policy matters regarding civil rights issues, Shobhana is currently a member of the Chicago Mayor’s Office AAPI Community Engagement Council; the Language Access Advisory Committee and the Chicago Committee on Asian and Pacific Islander Hate Crimes.
Shobhana has been an active and trusted leader within the South Asian American community in the Greater Chicago Area and as SAAPRI’s Executive Director, she looks forward to continuing her work as a researcher, organizer, and strategist on a wide range of human rights and social justice issues with diverse and collaborative coalitions in Chicago and beyond.
Anushka Das
Programs & Operations Associate
Anushka holds a dual degree from The Ohio State University, combining a B.S. in Psychology with a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE), and a minor in Cognitive Science. She is a graduate of the Law and Society Scholars program at Ohio State, serving two years on the program’s Executive Board.
Originally from New Delhi, India, Anushka immigrated to the United States as a teenager, embodying the experience of a first-generation South Asian immigrant. Her roots drive her profound commitment to the South Asian community and its advancement.
In her free time, Anushka enjoys reading literature on Partitions and Separatism, writing blogs, indulges in singing and exploring Desi music and instruments, and likes to spend time with her dog, family and friends.
Francys Munoz
Communications & Development Associate
Francys is a recent graduate from Northeastern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s in Social Work. As a Social Work candidate, she spent most of her time working with immigrant and undocumented communities in the Chicago neighborhood and northern suburbs. She was involved in creating digital campaigns during the election and sharing media updates on immigration legislation. In undergrad, she was a member of multiple student organizations like the Student Government Association, and the Chicanos, Mexicanos & Latinos Association (CHIMEXLA). She also served as an intern at NEIU’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Her work has focused on creating spaces for community members to embrace their cultural identities by hosting diverse speaking engagements and community luncheons.
At SAAPRI, Francys is interested in creating digital campaigns that are social justice-driven. She understands the value of social media platforms and their impact on our everyday lives. In her free time, Francys enjoys attending her folkloric ballet practices and events. She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Murtaza Ali
Finance Manager
Jordan Stalker
Research & Development Advisor
Jordan earned his doctorate in Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin. His dissertation focused on the media uses of Indian Americans in the Greater Chicago area and how that media use helps them connect to India and Indians. His other areas of expertise are in race and ethnicity, media history, public relations and research. His work considers how communication mechanisms and ideologies can contribute to democracy and dignity, how journalism and public relations function in democratic societies and how media products and industries contribute to the formation of group and individual identity.
Jordan’s wife is from New Delhi and their daughter gives him a vested interest in understanding and supporting the flourishing of the South Asian American community in and around Chicago. Jordan is happy to associate with SAAPRI and support with research and writing on various topics, using his connections in academia in Chicago and internationally.
Julie Thomas Achettu
Education Consultant
Julie started her career in education in January 2000 at various institutions and companies. In her 20+ years as an educator, she has had various roles such as Teacher, Adjunct Faculty, Education Consultant, and Curriculum Writer. She saw the dire need for more representation of diverse texts, so she wrote the curriculum for Asian American Literature for Chicago Public Schools and started the pilot course in 2014. It is the first one-year core Asian American literature course in the nation. In addition, she revamped DEI modules for diversity trainings, and she wrote the curriculum for the newly mandated Ethnic Studies course for an online education platform in California. She has also been on several teacher in-service panels for various universities for how to effectively implement the TEAACH Act. Julie has her B.A. in English and her M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from Loyola University Chicago.
Aakash Ray
Communications & Research Fellow
Aakash is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan with concentrations in biopsychology, neuroscience, and the history of law and policy. During his time at Michigan, he was largely involved in social justice-centered work and various research opportunities centered around immigrant populations. He has experience serving on the board of the South Asian Awareness Network, where he planned annual social justice conferences and community engagement events through a South Asian lens. He also served on the board of Paani, a non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating clean water accessibility in Pakistan, and contributed to the student newspaper’s POC-led section, Michigan in Color.
Aakash is primarily interested in conducting research on immigration law and policy and its effects on the broader immigrant community. He is also excited to join the SAAPRI team and build meaningful relationships in the Chicago South Asian community. In his free time, Aakash enjoys playing tennis, watching Hindi movies, and spending time with his family.
Litcy Kurisinkal
Community Research Fellow
Litcy is a political activist and a Human Rights Professional. She served as the Regional Organizing Director of Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) in the Nov 2022 midterm elections. She has been the Illinois State Co-lead for Women for Biden-Harris (WfB-H) since the 2020 US Presidential Election campaign. She is the Policy Chair of Women for Color Coalition (WOCC). She was the elected Chair of the Local School Council (LSC) in the Chicago Public School system. She also serves as the Board Member of Harvard Women for Defense, Diplomacy and Development (W3D) and Alumnae-i Network for Harvard Women (ANHW).
Ms Kurisinkal has decade long experience in Human rights research and advocacy on child rights, labor rights, migrant rights, civic, and political rights. She has worked with the Office of the High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR), UN Special Rapporteur on sale & sexual exploitation of children, International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), UNI Global-SEIU, CARAM Asia, Clean Clothes Campaign, CRS Benin (Africa) and Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s Global March against Child Labor in India. She has led diverse issue-based advocacy campaigns to defend civil and political rights internationally.
Litcy holds a Master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a Masters degree in Mathematics from University of Delhi, India. She was a Cambridge Commonwealth Scholar (1999-2000) in Cambridge University, UK. She was awarded with the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy Paper Prize in 2013 from Harvard Kennedy School.
Prottusha Sarkar
Health Equity Research Fellow
Prottusha is a medical student at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and concurrently pursuing an MBA at the Kellogg School of Medicine. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry and a minor in Chemistry. She finds great joy in the privilege of caring for patients and actively volunteers her time at free clinics around Chicago in addition to her clinical work.
With a passion for health equity, Prottusha has integrated community-centered approaches by collaborating with community organizations for various research projects. She is excited to join the SAAPRI team and continue keeping community at the core of her work. Her goal is to understand and address the specific health needs of the South Asian population, foster relationships with the community, and implement initiatives to empower South Asians with knowledge of their health. Beyond academic and professional pursuits, Prottusha enjoys running on Lakeshore trail, indulging in Hindi movies with loved ones, and expressing herself through poetry and prose.
Anushka Somani
Research & Civic Engagement Intern
Anushka is a third-year student at The University of Chicago where she is on a selective three-year track in public policy. She has previously worked with various organizations related to campaign management, research, and nonprofit work. Anushka Somani previously worked as an intern at The Borgen Project where she raised 1000+ dollars, successfully researched and published articles, and campaigned with congressional leaders to pass legislation that would alleviate global poverty.
Anushka Somani is currently a policy intern at the mayor’s office where she is responsible for drafting policy initiatives and publications, conducting research, and managing key initiatives related to gender-based violence in the City of Chicago.
Anushka is thrilled to be part of the SAAPRI team to work towards engaging her community and getting involved in key issues that affect South Asians.
Georgeena Mathai
Research & Civic Engagement Intern
Georgeena (she/her/hers) is a junior at DePaul University pursuing a BA/JD Media & Cinema Studies major. With her path taking her towards law school, Georgeena is eager to see how she can help lift marginalized voices. Having researched and written on how the South Asian community is represented in media, she is dedicated to helping advance the community. During her time at DePaul, she has served as President of the Pre-Law Club, elevating women of color pursuing law.
As the Civic Engagement Intern at SAAPRI, she helps build bridges between the South Asian community by increasing voter awareness and advocating for civic engagement.
In her free time, Georgeena enjoys reading, writing fiction and poetry, studying film score, and indulging in film and television.
Nikhitha Vellanki
Health Equity Intern
Nikhitha is a recent graduate from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s in Behavioral Neuroscience. She currently works at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as a clinical research assistant at a psychology lab. During the weekends, Nikhitha works as a patient care technician at The Little Clinic in Columbus, OH. She is currently working on applying to Master’s programs in the healthcare industry.
In her free time, Nikhitha loves to travel, spend time with friends and family, and be outdoors.
Karan Gowda
Research & Data Analytics Consultant
Karan is a recent graduate from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences with two minors in global health studies and classics. He has worked for years within both quantitative and qualitative research laboratories and projects from infectious disease work to art museum acquisition. He also has an interest in education through his extensive tutoring and mentoring work with undergraduate peers, as well as in the community within spaces such as the Chicago Math & Science Academy and most recently as a full time education fellow at Mather High School near Devon Avenue.
Karan’s work with SAAPRI has revolved around shining light on healthcare disparity issues regarding the South Asian community in Chicagoland. He has supported this work by helping plan town hall events through effective social media material, including posts and visuals. He also helps out with other teams at SAAPRI with any of their pressing needs.
Karan is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at Northwestern’s downtown campus and in his free time, he loves being with friends and families as well as playing and watching sports.
Ani Srinivasan
Health Equity Partnerships Specialist
Ani is a first-year medical student in Northwestern University’s Medical Scientist Training Program, on a combined M.D./Ph.D. dual-degree track. Previously, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his Bachelor’s Degree, where he majored in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, and History. So far in medical school, he has enjoyed volunteering at community clinics, engaging with patients, and exploring Chicago.
Ani is interested in integrating community-centered advocacy with advances in biomedical research to meet the needs of marginalized communities. He is excited to join SAAPRI and grow as a member of Chicago’s South Asian community while working on initiatives that empower South Asians to positively engage with their health. Long-term, Ani hopes to contribute to expanding South Asian advocacy networks to a national scale and ensuring that South Asian community interests are represented at decision-making tables. In his free time, Ani enjoys reading, watching soccer, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.