Shubhecchha Dhaurali

Shubhecchha Dhaurali

कार्यक्रम » अनुसन्धान निर्देशक

[email protected]

Shubhecchha Dhaurali (she/her) received her BA in Community Health at Tufts University, graduating with summa cum laude honors, was the recipient of one of Tufts’ Presidential Awards for Civic Life, and inducted to the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. Shubhecchha loves data analysis, generating new project ideas, leading sustainable and innovative research, and bringing communities together to eradicate health disparities. She values kind, nurturing, and human-centered approaches to leadership and building mentoring relationships.

Shubhecchha is an aspiring physician scientist with a dedication to improving health outcomes through scholarship, research, ethical leadership, and advocacy.

Outside of work, Shubhecchha loves writing narrative stories, reading fantasy and thriller novels, watching Mike Flanagan’s works, learning to cook Nepalese cuisine, and spending time with family members, especially my two puppies.

Anne Lizette Sta. Maria

Anne Lizette Sta. Maria

Executive Communications Specialist

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Anne Lizette Sta. Maria (she/her) uses communications to serve communities and causes.

In college, Lizette gravitated towards experiences in higher education and nonprofits. She became heavily involved in her campus community, creating digital communications content for several UMass Amherst entities, including UMass Admissions, the School of Public Policy, and UMass Smart About Money — a peer-to-peer financial literacy program.

A summer 2021 internship took her to Washington D.C., where she worked as a Media and Storytelling Intern for refugee assistance agency Church World Service. Later that year, Lizette co-founded the UMass Amherst Filipino Student Association. She graduated summa cum laude in May 2022 with a double major in Communication and Journalism, and a concentration in Public Relations.

Lizette’s gap year took her to New Haven, San Francisco, and the Philippines, where she proposed a student engagement plan for Yale University’s Annual Fund, promoted high impact community events in the SOMA Pilipinas neighborhood, and reconnected with her ancestral homeland, respectively.

Her most recent commitment was with the The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, where, through writing alumni profiles, she had the honor of bringing to light the stories of alumni doing incredible social justice work.

In her free time, Lizette enjoys the health benefits of daily walks, herbal teas, and a regular gratitude practice. She is proud to come from a first-generation immigrant background. And she is excited to join this team to work towards the full social, economic, and political integration of all AAPI residents of Massachusetts.

जेनिफर बेस्ट का हेडशॉट

जेनिफर बेस्ट

जेनिफर बेस्ट

Policy & Communications Director

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Jennifer Best (she/her) graduated from Tufts University in May 2022, where she studied Political Science, International Relations, and History. She specialized in migration, 20th century history, activism, and national security. She spent her senior year writing her Senior Honors Thesis in Political Science, titled Youth Activism: Who Becomes Involved in Youth Activism and Why? A look into the demographics and opinions of youth activists in comparison to older activists. She used statistical analysis to determine the effects that race, gender, education, and income had on participation in activism among 60,000 respondents, in addition to fielding a survey of former Ed Markey for U.S. Senate Campaign Fellows. Throughout her studies, she prioritized investigating and highlighting the real world effects of policies, regimes, and events on normal people, rather than just political elites.

जेनिफरसँग अभियान र सरकार दुवैको माध्यमबाट वकालतमा अनुभव छ। उनले एमए राज्य प्रतिनिधि एरिका उइटेरहोवेनको लागि नीति र संचार प्रशिक्षुको रूपमा काम गरिन्, जहाँ उनले गवाहीहरू लेखिन्, संचार अभियानहरू सिर्जना र कार्यान्वयन गरिन्, नीतिको अनुसन्धान गरिन्, बजेटमा काम गरिन्, र धेरै धेरै। उनले धेरै म्यासाचुसेट्स-आधारित अभियानहरूमा पनि काम गरेकी छिन्, जसमा हिक्स फर डिस्ट्रिक्ट सिक्स बोस्टन सिटी काउन्सिल क्याम्पेन पनि समावेश छ, जहाँ उनी एक वित्त र इभेन्ट्स फेलो थिइन्, साथै उम्मेदवारको लागि आधिकारिक नीति प्लेटफर्महरू लेख्नुको अलावा। उनले अमेरिकी सिनेट अभियानका लागि एड मार्कीमा फिल्ड र कम्युनिकेसन फेलोको रूपमा पनि काम गरेकी थिइन्, जहाँ उनले सिनेटरका लागि भाषण र टिप्पणीहरू लेख्न धेरै घण्टा बिताएकी थिइन्, व्यक्तिगत र भर्चुअल कार्यक्रमहरू आयोजना गरेकी थिइन् र सयौं स्वयंसेवकहरूलाई प्रशिक्षण दिएकी थिइन्। जेनिफरले एएपीआई कमिसनमा आफ्नो कामको लागि अन्तर-सरकारी र अतिरिक्त-सरकारी मार्गहरू मार्फत संचार र वकालतको आफ्नो ज्ञान ल्याउनेछिन्।

जब जेनिफर काम गर्दैन, तपाईं उसलाई थिएटरमा संलग्न पाउन सक्नुहुन्छ, नयाँ नुस्खा पकाउन, वा राम्रो पुस्तकको साथ कर्ल गर्न सक्नुहुन्छ। उनी यस्तो भावुक टोलीमा सामेल हुन र म्यासाचुसेट्समा एएपीआई समुदायहरूको लागि वकालत जारी राख्न उत्साहित छिन्।

यास्मिन पदमसी फो्रब्स

यास्मिन पदमसी फो्रब्स

कार्यकारी निर्देशक

[email protected]

Yasmin Padamsee Forbes is a dedicated advocate for change and community empowerment. As a first-generation student, immigrant, and a devoted single mother to her daughter, she brings a unique perspective to her work, fueled by her commitment to social justice, human rights, and climate change activism.

In her role as the Executive Director of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission in Massachusetts, Yasmin demonstrates exceptional strategic planning, management, and resource mobilization skills. Working closely with commissioners, she has fostered an
environment of collaboration, ensuring that the collective efforts of the Commission make a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of those it serves.

She has previously served in senior leadership roles with non-profits and the United Nations in Papua New Guinea, India, Lao PDR, Burma, and the United States. With a wealth of experience in leadership roles, Yasmin deeply understands the importance of cross-cultural collaboration and building robust partnerships for significant change. She holds a Masters in Communications and Film Production from New York University, where she received a scholarship, and a second Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University.

Yasmin’s impactful contributions have garnered significant recognition, notably the 2019 All- Star Award from the Harvard Kennedy School. This honor was awarded to acknowledge her exceptional work in curating, fundraising, and organizing the LGBTQ film festival, “Pride and Progress”. Furthermore, Yasmin was honored with the esteemed 2018 Julius E. Babbitt Memorial Volunteer Award from Harvard, recognizing her outstanding efforts in organizing and fostering partnerships with Harvard alumni across the public and private sectors in Burma. Her remarkable achievements include orchestrating the most significant gathering across Asia, attended by an impressive 99% of Harvard alumni in Yangon during the visit of the Dean of HKS.

Beyond her professional achievements, Yasmin actively engages in community service as a Cambridge Human Rights Commission Commissioner. Committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, she collaborates with communities across Massachusetts, passionately striving to drive positive and sustainable change.