The Indian American is the first South Asian American to serve in the position.
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) has named Indian Nisha Ramachandran as its new executive director.
The former aide to Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), a veteran of Asian American advocacy, is the first South Asian American to serve in the role.
CAPAC, founded in 1994, is a congressional caucus of members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage.
“I’m very excited to welcome Nisha Ramachandran as the new Executive Director of CAPAC,” said Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), the caucus chair, in a statement on Thursday. “Nisha comes to CAPAC after nearly a decade of experience working with the AAPI community on a national scale. 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. I am looking forward to working with Nisha to advance AAPI priorities and am eager to see her succeed.”
CAPAC’s First Vice Chair Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06) and Bera also welcomed Ramachandran.
“I am thrilled to congratulate and welcome Nisha Ramachandran as the new Executive Director of CAPAC,” said Meng. “She has worked within the national Asian American and Pacific Islander community and brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience to our caucus. I look forward to working with her on addressing the many critical issues impacting AAPIs.”
“Nisha has nearly a decade of experience working within the AAPI community, including serving as an APAICS fellow with my office,” Bera said. “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. As a proud CAPAC Member, I look forward to working with Nisha to advance the important work of our organization.”
Most recently, Ramachandran ran a consulting firm that focused on the AAPI community.
Previously, she worked at the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) for nearly three years, as policy director and policy and operations manager. Based in Washington, DC, NCAPA is a coalition of dozens of Asian Pacific American organizations.
Ramachandran is a cofounder and member of the board of directors of Desis for Progress, a South Asian American group that support progressive policies and values.
Ramachandran is an alumnus of the George Washington University, from where she earned a master’s in public policy in 2012. She also completed her bachelor’s degree from the university in anthropology and religion.