Maryland Sec. Sam Malhotra, Shamin Hotels founder Pramod Amin to be honored.
By Dileep Thekkethil
The American Indian Foundation’s Richmond Chapter will hold its second annual gala at the historic Science Museum of Virginia on November 7, 2015. The event will honor Maryland Secretary of Human Resources Sam Malhotra and Pramod C. Amin, the founder of Shamin Hotels.
The gala is expected to draw a number of prominent political, business and community leaders from Virginia and the East Coast. According to the organizers, the guest list includes Levar Marcus Stoney, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia; John Boland, Executive Director of Cushman & Wakefield Inc.; Chris Peterson, Partner at Morris, Manning & Martin L.L.P; Keyanna Conner, an aide to Sen. Mark Warner; and Sudhakar Shenoy, Chairman and CEO of Alyx Technologies, Inc, who has been associated with the AIF for a long time.
Malhotra, the first Indian American appointed to a cabinet post in Maryland, was the founder and CEO of Subsystem Technologies, Inc., a defense contractor. Prior to joining the administration of Gov. Larry Hogan, he had also served the previous Republican administration of Gov. Bob Ehrlich as a member of the Maryland Commission for Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.
Amin’s Shamin Hotel owns, operates, and develops hotels under numerous international brands, among them Hilton, Marriott, Intercontinental, Choice, Starwood and Hyatt. He is also a member of the board of First Capital Bank in Richmond.
The Richmond Chapter, AIF’s 10th branch in the United States, was launched last year, and the inaugural gala had raised more than $118,000 last November.
“We are very excited to have our second annual gala at the iconic Science Museum of Virginia this year,” said Sunita Gupta, chair of the AIF Richmond Chapter. Gupta, who is also a member of the board of trustees of the Museum, told the American Bazaar that “tremendous amount of work has been done in last one year by AIF Richmond to create awareness about AIF in Virginia Community.”
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Sanjay Mittal, CEO of the Richmond-based eHealthObjects Inc. and chair of the AIF Richmond Leadership Council, told the Bazaar that the organization has, in the past year, “reached out to a wider group of supporters and donors who understand the mission and vision of AIF and they have been helping us to spread AIF message.” He added: “AIF Richmond has been working on the ground to build partnerships with the like-minded organizations and people to make bigger impact. The very fact that AIF Richmond supporters come from many different states, and not just from Virginia, speaks volumes of the global reach AIF Richmond has been able to achieve in such a short time.”
Both Gupta and Nupa Agarwal, a member of the Richmond Leadership Council, attributed to the success of the Richmond chapter to the impact of the work AIF is doing. “I believe poverty, alienation, women’s rights, and lack of opportunity are the biggest issues that we are facing in the current age,” Agarwal said. “The American India Foundation funds programs that serve as a catalyst for social change and justice. I hope everyone will take the time to learn about its programs and services and also about the many amazing individuals and companies that lead and support the organization.”
Gupta said, AIF “as an organization, over the years has become a social ecosystem designed upon principles of trust, transparency, and partnership, bringing people from all walks of life together in a movement to better communities and help the people who have been left behind.”
Washington, DC, area-based actor Omi Vaidya and Vinny Anand will be the masters of ceremony. The event will also feature fusion dance by Richmond Sparklers and live music performance by Poojaa Shah Talwar.
To register for the AIF Richmond Gala 2015, click on donate.aif.org/richmondgala2015.