The National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA) has selected 6 Indian-Americans it will recognize at the 19th Biennial Convention in Seattle Sept. 30-Oct. 1. These individuals hail from different fields of endeavor and were selected from among numerous names submitted to the NFIA committee which was appointed to select those who will be recognized at the Oct. 1 awards banquet, the organization said in a press release. They include comedian Dan Ninan, who is also actor and musician; Dr. Harkeerat Singh Dhillon is an Orthopedic and Hand Surgeon; Jagdish Sharma has been serving the Indian American community for over 30 years. He is chairman of Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) since 2013; Ramulu Mamidala is a Boeing-Pennell Professor of Engineering and Professor in Mechanical Engineering for the past 35 years and engaged heavily both in teaching and research; Sunil Singh is a successful business owner, investor, and a respected leader of the Indian American Community of DC Metro Region; and Vishwa Prasad, a successful IT entrepreneur who grew one of his companies, People Tech Group, to an 800 size employee company with annual revenue of $35 million, and has invested in several others.
Dan Nainan – The Performing Arts
Nainan, an Indian-Japanese engineer with Intel Corporation, got his start by taking a comedy class to overcome nervousness on stage. An accomplished musician, he sings and plays piano/keyboards, guitar and drums. Featured in “The Hoax”, with Richard Gere, “Slumdog Millionaire” and the Daily Show, Nainan has also starred in commercials for Apple, NBC, MDA Telethon, and Nickelodeon. He has toured 28 and entertained the likes of CEO’s of Microsoft, Adobe, and MasterCard, according to the NFIA.
Harkeerat Singh Dhillon – Public Service and Philanthropy
Dhillon is founder and president of the Riverside International Film Festival now in its fifteenth year, in Riverside, California. He has produced a Hollywood feature film Beyond Honor, NFIA said in its press release. He is the author of two books of poetry, ‘Invisible Hands’ and ‘Misty Darkness.’ Dhillon, along with his wife, Deepta Dhillon, has endowed a PhD research fellowship in Sikh and Punjabi studies at University of California, Riverside.
Jagdish Sharma — Community Service
Sharma has been a member of Ethnic Heritage Council in Seattle since 2007 and was conferred the “Spirit of Liberty” Award by EHC in 2013. He founded the Indo American Friendship Forum, and was its chairman
Ramilu Mamidala – Applied Sciences
Mamidala has a B.E (1974) from Osmania University, M.Tech (1977) from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, and a Ph.D. (1982) from University of Washington. His professional contributions reflect multi-disciplinary technical leadership in advanced aerospace materials, mechanics and manufacturing engineering. He has published more than 350 technical papers, the NFIA said.
Sunil Singh — Entrepreneur
An engineer who owns a chain of six pizza shops and a few Tropical Smoothies Café franchises, Singh’s real estate holdings include 40 businesses located in Washington, D. C., New Jersey and Texas. He has been mobilizing the community and helping the community organizations through his participation and donations, according to NFIA.
Vishwa Prasad — Information Technology
As a professional, a manager, and a visionary CEO, Prasad has been a role model for many of the brightest minds that comprise his successful company, People Tech Group, the NFIA said. He went on to acquire Ramp Group in 2009 and Lipta and CodeSmart in 2014. He also acquired MakeUrCareer in 2012-13.
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