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Association of Indians in America swears in national leadership team
The oath was administered by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Congressman Tom Suozzi, and Congresswoman Laura Gillen.
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Staff Reporter - Tue, 03, Feb 2026
- 16:18 EST
- 25
NY Attorney General Letitia James swearing in AIA national president Nilima Madan / Courtesy: Association of Indians in America (AIA)
The Association of Indians in America (AIA) conducted the oath and inauguration ceremony for its National Executive Committee (NEC) for the 2026-27 term in New York, marking the start of a new leadership cycle.
The team led by national president Nilima Madan was administered oaths by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Congressman Tom Suozzi, and Congresswoman Laura Gillen.
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National president Nilima Madan, Uma Swaminathan and few committee members / Courtesy: Association of Indians in America (AIA)In her acceptance address, president Madan thanked AIA members for their trust and acknowledged the responsibility of leading the organization. She highlighted the collective experience of the NEC and recognized the contributions of senior members, trustees, and honorees, calling for continued guidance and collaboration in advancing the association’s mission.
Those sworn in included vice presidents Naresh Bhasin, Florida; Salil Mishra, Illinois; Binod Verma, New York; Sunil Mehra, New York; treasurer Gobind Bathija, New York; and NEC members-at-large: Sharmistha Dutta, Uma Eniasivam, Ramola Motwani, Florida; Lucy Pandey, Manoranjan Mishra, Om Dhingra, Illinois; Suresh Gupta, Maryland; Hansa Shah, Missouri; Bharati Palkhiwala, New Jersey; Satnam Parhar, Vimal Goyal, Sujata Seth, Rajeev Chaudhry, Sumita SenGupta, Roopam Maini, Pallavi Manvar, Pradeep Tandon, New York; and Vijay Sharma, Wisconsin.
Congressman Tom Suozzi administering oath to AIA members / Courtesy: Association of Indians in America (AIA)
Additional appointments were announced for AIA committees and councils, including Sushma Kotahwala as membership chair, Gunjan Rastogi as parliamentarian, and Santosh Pandey as chair for bylaws and rules. Other names cited to join the committee included Narinder Kapoor, Deepak Bansal, Jasbir Singh, Hina Trivedi, Anju Sharma, Jyoti Gupta, Nishi Bahl, Surin Manaktala, Usha Kapoor, Tara Lodha, and Divya Shah.
Uma Swaminathan, founding member and incoming advisor, spoke on the organization’s role in civic and political engagement.
Members of the AIA board of trustees present included Nirmal Mattoo, Vijay Mattoo, Naveen Shah, Dolly Manvar, and Gobind Munjal. During the ceremony, the outgoing president was presented with a commemorative plaque and a citation issued by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, read and presented by Lionel Chitty.
AIA treasurer Gobind Bathija being sworn in / Courtesy: Association of Indians in America (AIA)The formal program concluded with a social gathering featuring music and dance, marking the beginning of the NEC’s 2026-27 term. Cultural segments included renditions of the American and Indian national anthems and a Kathak performance by Esha Mishra.
Congratulatory messages and proclamations were displayed from Attorney General Letitia James, United States Senator Chuck E. Schumer, Ambassador of India Vinay Kwatra, Consul General of India in New York Binay S. Pradhan, Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, Congressman Tom Suozzi, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava, Legislator Rosemary Walker, Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, and others
Sudhir Parikh speaking with AIA trustee Naveen Shah and national president Nilima Madan and treasurer Gobind Bathija / Courtesy: Association of Indians in America (AIA)Despite inclement weather, members participated both in person and virtually, with several joining remotely from different states across the United States, while others attended the event in New York.
Community representatives from AAPI, AAPIQLI, IDP, IALI, VHI, Rotary chapters RCHS and RCNS, business leaders, and other organizations attended the event.
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