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Naari 2026 honors women leaders in San Francisco
48 women leaders were recognized at the San Francisco celebration.
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Staff Reporter - Sun, 15, Mar 2026
- 04:32 EDT
- 95
Organizing group of Naari 2026 – International Women’s Day Celebration / Courtesy: Association of Indo Americans (AIA)
The Association of Indo Americans (AIA) hosted “Naari 2026 – International Women’s Day Celebration” on March 8 in collaboration with the Consulate General of India in San Francisco.
The event brought together community leaders, public officials, and guests to recognize the achievements of women across sectors, including public service, technology, healthcare, entrepreneurship, education, and community leadership.
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Lamp lighting ceremony / Courtesy: Association of Indo Americans (AIA)Speakers included Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California; Srikar Reddy, Consul General of India in San Francisco; Prathima Reddy, spouse of Consul General of India Srikar Reddy; Shefali Razdan Duggal, former U.S. Ambassador; Neeru Khosla, co-founder of the CK-12 Foundation; Catherine Stefani, Assemblymember; Penny Coulter, Chief of Protocol for the City and County of San Francisco; and Christine Pelosi, political strategist.
Speaking at the gathering, Srikar Reddy said his office was honored to host the event recognizing women leaders and acknowledged the Association of Indo Americans for bringing the community together.
In her address, Eleni Kounalakis said gatherings that bring together people from diverse cultural backgrounds help strengthen international relationships and expand collaboration between communities.
A total of 48 women leaders were recognized for their achievements and contributions across multiple fields. Three individuals received Lifetime Achievement Awards.
The Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Eleni Kounalakis, Shefali Razdan Duggal, and Neeru Khosla. Neeru Khosla was recognized for her work through the CK-12 Foundation, which develops educational resources aimed at supporting students in the early stages of their learning.
The Geetha Ramakrishnan Memorial Award was presented to Srima Ranganathan, former chairperson of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) Dallas (DFW) chapter, recognizing professional excellence in memory of Geetha Ramakrishnan.
The 48 honorees included Prathima Reddy Koppula, Eleni Kounalakis, Shefali Razdan Duggal, Neeru Khosla, Catherine Stefani, Penny Coulter, Christine Pelosi, Srima Ranganathan, Sonita Lontoh, Lily Mei, Sherry Hu, Anita Manwani, Noreen King, Hannah Kain, Mamta Bhandari, Nilima Ragavan, and Beena Ammanath.
The list also included Vasu Jakkal, Shalini Govil-Pai, Sundari Mitra, Sulata Mitra Sarkar, Sumita Jayaraman, Shabana Shiraz, Sema Sharma, Amrita Kar, Leela Mathur, Priya Kannan, Meena Sivaramakrishnan, Padma Parthasarathy, Shubha Prithviraj, Reema Mukherjee, Lizy John, Reni Poulose, Lekshmi Shaiju, Rinu Nair, Namrita Yuhanna, Shampy Prakash, Renu Bhatt, Sudha Prabhunandan, Sheetal Jharia, Gayatri Joshi, Archana Panda, Renuka Chavva, Radhika Sharma, Jyothi Chigullapalli, Minal Joshi, Meghna Patel, and Riya Patel.
AIA members with Consul General of India in San Francisco Srikar Reddy and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla / Courtesy: Association of Indo Americans (AIA)AIA also acknowledged the collaboration of Srikar Reddy, Prathima Reddy, and consulate staff in organizing the program, as well as support from M.R. Rangaswami of Indiaspora and Anita Manwani of TiE Silicon Valley.
The Association of Indo Americans is a coalition of more than 50 nonprofit organizations in Silicon Valley focused on community service, cultural engagement, and civic participation.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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