KIRAN AHUJA NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS

On December 14, 2009, Kiran Ahuja will become the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, housed in the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC.

For almost twenty years, Kiran Ahuja has dedicated herself to improving the lives of women of color in the U.S. Well-known as a leader among national and grassroots Asian and Pacific Islander and women's rights organizations, Kiran served as the founding Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum from 2003-2008. Through her leadership, Kiran built NAPAWF from an all-volunteer organization to one with a paid professional staff who continue to spearhead successful policy and education initiatives, and expanded NAPAWF's volunteer chapters and membership across the country.

Kiran grew up in Savannah, Georgia, where her understanding of race, gender and ethnicity was formed as a young Indian immigrant. She attended Spelman College and worked for Georgia's first African American Congresswoman since the Reconstruction. She attended law school at the University of Georgia, and was chosen as one of five Honors Program trial attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, where she litigated education-related discrimination cases and filed the Department's first peer-on-peer student racial harassment lawsuit. In addition, she participated in the Division's National Origin Working Group as part of a core group of attorneys who organized response efforts for the Division after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Kiran is married to Javier Guzman, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and resides in Tampa, Florida, where she has taught as adjunct faculty member at the University of South Florida and has consulted with foundations and nonprofits.

See what others are saying about this momentous appointment:

National CAPACD - Lisa Hasegawa

"I have worked with Kiran for the past 10 years and I’m thrilled that President Obama has chosen someone who will be a passionate advocate and strong voice for underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Kiran has a deep commitment to civil rights and equity and will most certainly be an innovator and champion not for only AAPI communities, but all who are underserved." READ MORE at: http://www.aapimomentum.org/user/1/blog/national-capacd-commends-preside...

NAPAWF - National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum

"With great pride and much excitement, NAPAWF is ecstatic to announce the latest appointee from the Obama Administration. Our very own Kiran Ahuja has been named Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders!" (READ MORE at: http://www.aapimomentum.org/user/1/blog/kiran-ahuja-founding-executive-d...)

JACL - Japanese American Citizens League

"The Japanese American Citizens League, the largest and oldest civil and human rights organization in the nation, applauds Kiran Ahuja on her appointment by President Barack Obama as Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders." (READ MORE at: http://www.aapimomentum.org/user/1/blog/jacl-congratulates-kiran-ahuja-h...

APAP - Asian Pacific Americans for Progress - spamfriedrice's blog

"Ever since President Obama signed the Executive Order to reinstate the White House Initiative on AAPIs (WHIAAPI) back in October, I've been waiting on pins and needles to see whom the administration would appoint as the new executive director. I wondered whether President Obama would appoint someone whose been around in the "mainstream" of AAPI leadership or..." (READ MORE at: http://www.aapimomentum.org/user/1/blog/kiran-ahuja-appointed-ed-white-h...

Feministing.com - Posted by Jessica - May 17, 2007

"Kiran Ahuja is the Executive Director of NAPAWF and has been involved with the organization since 1999 as a national board member and co-founder of the Washington, D.C. chapter. She has practiced as a civil rights lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division where she has worked on desegregation, bilingual, race and national origin discrimination issues in education-related civil rights cases." (READ MORE at: http://www.aapimomentum.org/user/1/blog/voices-api-women-kiran-ahuja-bei...