An Indian-American woman entrepreneur and community activist in the Tri-state area was named member of the City’s Economic Development Corporation’s board of directors by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio late last month.
Pam Kwatra, president of Kripari Marketing that serves as a liaison between major American corporations and the Indian-American community, joined the likes of William S. Floyd, head of external affairs for Google New York, and Matthew Hiltzik, founder and ceo of Hiltzik Strategies and former vice president of communications and government relations for Miramax Films following her appointment July 24.
Kwatra was among ten new members named by the mayor to the board of directors. The board members help guide NYCEDC’s agenda. As the City’s primary economic development vehicle, it leverages the City’s assets to create good jobs and drive growth, ensuring equitable and sustainable development across all five boroughs. The membership to the board of directors is an honorary position and people serve as long as the mayor wishes.
The appointees, who include business, community, nonprofit and academic leaders, will join the organization’s 27-member board. The first meeting of the board, Kwatra said, was slated for next week.
The mayor noted that Kwatra, president of Kripari Marketing, is a member of the Association of Indians in America, Arya Samaj of Bergen County, and an executive committee member of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in New York. She sits on the boards of the American Conference on Diversity, Indian Chamber of Commerce, and South Asian Business Alliance, among many others.
“We are honored to have these new leaders from tech companies, non-profits and academia join our team as we invest in the human capital, infrastructure and space needs to drive a fair and strong economy,” de Blasio said in a statement.
Kwatra, a graduate of Delhi University who has been taking up causes dear to Indian-Americans in New York metropolitan area, was thrilled about the appointment, but mentioned that she would represent all New Yorkers, and not just Indian-Americans.
“South Asian Business owners should be treated fairly and NYCEDC vendor relationship should be fair and transparent by the City. But honestly, it is an agency for all New Yorkers, and so I cannot just separate needs of South Asians in particular although they have issues,’ Kwatra, a small business owners for 30 years, said.
What does she bring to the table?
“My experience of serving on other broads and the community at large has been my number one priority. So, I will work along with other board members to ensure that NYCEDC also focus on serving the community while keeping agency goals on track,” she told Desi Talk.
Given a chance she would like to focus on women’s issues with special programs on women, and NYCEDC’s vendor relationship in the city.
She mentioned that other than her personal growth in N.Y.C. she met with so many women who had more difficulties in adjusting to this new culture and also also did not have any support from their partners, indicating the issue of domestic violence in south Asian families.
“That has become an important issue for me, and I will try to do whatever possible within my means to mitigate their sufferings. Supporting victims of domestic violence has become an important issue for me,” Kwatra who came here at the age of 21, said.
The post Pam Kwatra Named To N.Y.C. Mayor’s Economic Development Board appeared first on News India Times.