Pradhan is an alum of the IIT.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: President Barack Obama has nominated Sanjita Pradhan, a Nepali American, to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Pradhan, who received an MBA from the Indian Institute of Technology, currently serves as an executive officer of the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs at the Iowa Department of Human Rights, a position she has held since 2013.
She had also served as Resettlement Director at Catholic Charities of Des Moines, Iowa from 2010 to 2013 and employment coordinator for Lutheran Services of Iowa’s Refugee Cooperative Services from 2009 to 2010. She has also served on the Advisory Board for the Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center.
According to her LinkedIn profile, in her capacity as an employment coordinator she has worked extensively in educating employers about the refugee work force while preparing refugees for their new life in the United States.
Prior to the turn of the decade, Pradhan worked in the private sector as a marketing coordinator at Principal Financial Group from 2007 to 2008.
Regarding her status as an executive officer of the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, Pradhan wrote via LinkedIn:
I strive to be the voice of the many underrepresented refugees and immigrants who are great assets to our communities but have high barriers. I continue to advocate on their behalf for access to public services and governance. My goal is to find ways to bridge the gaps that exist in services to enable our community become more welcoming and inclusive.