Co-Executive Director

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Cynthia Saxena is our Co-Executive Director, overseeing the communications and development work across the organization. Cynthia has a robust background in international relations, global risk management, and fundraising, with a proven track record of mobilizing resources and fostering growth for non-profits, small enterprises, and UN agencies.

In her previous role at UNICEF Canada, she managed the stewardship, cultivation, and activation of high-value global corporate partnerships with Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, she was a Strategy & Fundraising Manager at a non-profit in Connecticut and an Equity Campaign Specialist at a South Asian advocacy organization in Toronto, supporting fundraising efforts, organizational change management, and expanding strategic partnerships and community relations.

Her extensive international experience has shaped her multicultural perspective. She has lived and worked in Canada, India, Thailand, the USA, Germany, and Belgium. She holds a Master of Science degree in Global Affairs from New York University and an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Equity Studies from the University of Toronto. In her spare time, Cynthia enjoys traveling, drinking lattes, and reading.

Organizer

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Dolma Sherpa is our Nail Salon Worker Organizer. In her role, Dolma advocates for Nail Salon workers by bridging workforce development training with leadership development. She has successfully led and supported members with their licensing registration and exam preparations, including organizing workers to join and engage with our campaigns at the State and City levels. 

Dolma was born and raised in Nepal and moved to the U.S. in 2015, where she began her career as a nail technician. She was part of Adhikaar’s first-ever NY State Nail Salon licensing course in 2016 and worked as a nail tech for four years. During this time, she was an active member leader, advocating for campaigns like One Fair Wage and the Nail Salon ventilation campaign. She also played a key role in the steering committee that launched Adhikaar’s first Workers Association in 2019, the same year she officially joined Adhikaar as a Fellow. 

Dolma believes in approaching work through the heart as she feels that when you work through your heart, you will gradually meet your goals. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tribhuvan University and is a certified Nail Tech and Acupuncturist. In her spare time, you’ll catch Dolma traveling the world, meeting new people, and learning about their cultures and traditions.

Dolma worked as a Fellow at Adhikaar since 2019, leading the workforce development program for the nail salon campaign. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Arts from Nepal and speaks four languages (Nepali, English, Tibetan, and Hindi).

Senior Manager for Services

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Maya Gurung is our Senior Manager for Services. She oversees organization-wide direct service programs such as adult literacy classes, health programs, and casework related to immigration, wage theft, fraud, and labor trafficking. She also connects and supports members in navigating complex government services.

Maya’s journey at Adhikaar uniquely positions her to understand the direct needs of our communities. She first joined Adhikaar in 2015 as an intern and over the years, she took on roles as a Program Assistant and Health Navigator, then as a Case Coordinator, Senior Case Coordinator, Census Manager, and Case Manager before assuming her current position. As a pioneer in language justice work, she leads initiatives to provide access to language through interpretation at Adhikaar and works directly with NYC agencies to ensure language access. 

Maya was born and raised in Nepal and moved to the U.S. in 2011. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from Skidmore College. In 2024, she received a Citation of Honors from the Office of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors and watching sunsets.

Director of HR, Operations and Finance

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Meenu Gorkhali is our Director of HR, Operations and Finance. She has over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector and reflects a deep commitment to improving organizational effectiveness. Her specialization in management, human resources, and finance underscores a well-rounded skill set crucial for the success of nonprofit organizations. Meenu has demonstrated her expertise by assisting nonprofits in various aspects, including defining their needs, streamlining processes, identifying gaps, and establishing effective organizational systems.

Meenu’s track record in recruiting and developing high-performing teams, implementing effective HR policies, and ensuring 100% staff retention for over five years underscores her human resources and talent management proficiency. Her collaborative approach with the Executive Director and the management team has contributed to the organization’s stability and success.

Meenu was born in Nepal and moved to the U.S. in 1996. Meenu holds a Master’s in Business Management (MBA) with a concentration in Management from the New York Institute of Technology and Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) from Bangalore University with a concentration in Finance. As an aspiring Life Coach, you’ll find Meenu volunteering and spending time with the Nepali-speaking communitiy and her family.

Senior Organizer

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Namrata Pradhan is our Senior Organizer for Domestic Workers. In her role, she oversees the Domestic Worker program and campaigns at Adhikaar. Her primary focus is mobilizing and organizing New York and New Jersey Domestic Workers by building their leadership, leading on campaigns, and managing member recruitment. Namrata also oversees various workforce development training, such as “We Rise” nanny and newborn training as well as CPR training.

As a former Domestic Worker and current staff member, she utilizes story-telling to engage and recruit new members for our campaigns and workforce development training. She can capture the bigger picture and connect with community members at the grassroots level - helping them use their voices to lead change in the Domestic Worker industry. 

Namrata was born and raised in Nepal and came to the U.S. in 1994. She holds a first-class law degree and later pursued Human Rights Law and a Master's in Public Administration at Tribhuvan University. She is often called the “Outreach Queen,” and in her spare time, you’ll find Namrata hanging out with her friends at cafes around Queens.

Co-Executive Director

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Narbada Chhetri is our Co-Executive Director, overseeing service and organizing throughout the organization. She joined Adhikaar in 2007 as an Organizer and then held the position of Director of Organizing and Programs before her current role. Over the past several years, she has led our workers’ rights, immigration, health care, anti-labour trafficking program, and language justice work. She has been a fierce advocate for the rights of the Nepali-speaking communities in NYC and nationally. She has overseen a range of programs, campaigns, and services that directly support our community members.

During her tenure at Adhikaar, she has successfully organized and campaigned for the passage of the New York State Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, the Nail Salon Workers Bill of Rights, and the New Jersey Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. With her guidance, we have a robust anti-labor trafficking survivors program where nine survivors have secured victories, and over $800,000 in lost or stolen wages has been recovered. 

Immigration Organizer

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Nila Rai is our Immigration Organizer. She currently leads Adhikaar's immigration organizing which includes developing an overall organizing strategy in coordination with other staff members, focused on the organization’s priorities. She also develops relationships and oversees recruiting new members to engage in campaigns and programmatic work through community outreach, phone banking, texting, and other tactics. 

Before joining Adhikaar, Nila worked as a manager for Empire Enterprises NY LLC. She has been a long-term member leader and one of the first members to start our Nail Salon program. Nila approaches her work with respect and champions being reliable by our community members who can reach out to her without hesitation.

Nila was born and raised in Nepal and moved to the U.S. in 2008. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from the City College of New York and an Associate's degree in Paralegal Studies and Accounting from LaGuardia Community College. You’ll find Nila playing table tennis and spending time with her friends during her spare time. 

Senior Organizer

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Pabitra Dash is our Senior Organizer for Nail Salon Worker. In her role, she oversees the Nail Salon program and campaigns at Adhikaar. Her primary focus is on the training and leadership development of our members, helping them build their powerful voice and advocate for progressive changes in the Nail Salon industry. 

Pabitra was part of Adhikaar’s first-ever NY State Nail Salon licensing course in 2016 and worked as a nail tech before joining as an Organizing Fellow at Adhikaar. As a Fellow, Pabitra led outreach and organizing of Nail Salon workersand after participatingin Adhikaar’s Nail Salon campaign, joined Adhikaar’s staff team as an Organizer. 

Pabitra was born and raised in Nepal and moved to the U.S. in 2010. In Nepal, she used to organize Dalit and Indigenous brick workers and continues to fight caste-apartheid in the U.S. as well. Pabitra received her Advanced Labor Union Leadership certification from Cornell University. She is a singer and a writer, and in her spare time, you’ll find her playing with her son at the park and spending time with her family.

Health Navigator

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Pallavi Subedi is our Health Navigator at Adhikaar. In her role, she connects community members with health insurance through the NY State of Health marketplace and also supports undocumented members by helping them access health care through the NYC Care program. 

Before joining Adhikaar, Pallavi has worked in the aviation, tourism, administrative, human resource, and customer service industries - bringing diverse experience to Adhikaar and serving our wide Nepali-speaking community. Pallavi’s professional ethos lies in her commitment to selfless service, recognizing the inherent value of contributing positively to the lives of others. 

Pallavi was born and raised in Nepal and moved to the U.S. in 2015. She holds a Master's in Business Administration degree from the Presidential Business School affiliated to Westcliff University. She loves spending quality time with her daughter, engaging in activities like going to parks, traveling, shopping and enjoying meals together.

Case Coordinator

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Riksang Gurung is our Case Coordinator. She is responsible for individual case management, legal clinics, and ensuring Adhikaar members receive the services they qualify for. She also works with Adhikaar’s growing staff and member leaders in related program development, implementation, and evaluation. 

She is an Indigenous woman from Upper Mustang, Nepal, and has worked with her community in various roles. She has served as a facilitator for the Nepali government and also worked as a banker. 

Riksang was born and raised in Nepal; in her free time, she plays chess and watches interviews and Korean dramas.

Organizer

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Rukmani Bhattarai Adhikari is our Domestic Worker Organizer. In her role, she organizes Domestic Workers in New York and New Jersey to fight for their rights and receive workforce development training. She also leads our coveted “New Immigrants Navigation” program, which supports newly arrived non-English-speaking immigrants in navigating the complex U.S. systems—from learning how to purchase subway cards to practicing job interview skills.

As a former Domestic Worker in New Jersey and New York, Rukmani played a pivotal role in campaigning for the NJ Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. She was also a facilitator for the “We Rise” nanny training, a workforce development training program for Domestic Workers that equips them with skills to become professional workers. 

Rukmani was born and raised in Nepal where she worked as a paralegal. She moved to the U.S. in 2014. She likes to spend time with her family, sing, dance, and play harmonic instruments in her spare time.

Health Program Manager

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Sandhya Gurung Pradhan is our Health Program Manager at Adhikaar. She has led and has been overseeing the HealthCare Access program since 2016, ensuring that our community members have access to quality health care. She provides culturally and linguistically competent services to our community members and understands their needs. 

Along with supporting members to enroll in health insurance through the NY State of Health marketplace and NYC Care, she played a pivotal role in fighting for COVID-19 vaccine access. Due to her advocating for language justice in healthcare settings, today, our community members enjoy access to health services and receive language support during any healthcare related matters.

Sandhya was born and raised in Sikkim where she worked as an administrator at the Sikkim Government, and moved to the U.S. in 2007. She has been an active member since 2010, serving as a Public Allies Fellow from 2014 until transitioning to a full-time staff in 2015. Sandhya holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Indira Gandhi National Open University. In her spare time, you’ll catch Sandhya traveling the world and enjoying unique sightseeing experiences.

Finance Coordinator

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Shiva Poudel is our Finance Coordinator. He brings over eight years of experience and a wide range of experience in auditing, accounting, and taxation. As a registered Chartered Accountant under the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Shiva has been involved in various financial audit projects with clients from insurance companies, a hydropower project, and medical college financial due diligence.

Before joining Adhikaar, Shiva worked as a full-time Accountant and Auditor in Nepal, handling multiple tasks such as financial reporting, budget preparation and management, compliance, and audit. 

Shiva Poudel was born and raised in Nepal. He is grounded in integrity and precision and approaches his work with passion. As an entrepreneur, he has successfully established a “Nepa Tea” tea chain and an IT company named Nepa Pixels. He completed High School in Chitwan and received a gold medal at his graduation. You’ll find him traveling, reading books, and playing table tennis in his free time.

Development and Research Coordinator

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Shreya Gurung is our Development and Research Coordinator. She manages grant proposals and reporting and supports the cultivation of new funders and donors to expand Adhikaar’s fundraising efforts. When she first joined Adhikaar in 2022, she successfully fundraised over $20,000 and secured over $300,000 in grants for the organization in 2024. 

Shreya collaborates with Finance, Program Directors, and relevant program staff to craft contract budgets and work scope. She ensures timely implementation and compliance with contract deliverables and oversees the timely close-out, renewal, and extension of contracts and grants at Adhikaar. Prior to joining Adhikaar, she worked in events, sales, and marketing.

Shreya was born and raised in Nepal and movedto the U.S. in 2014. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Monroe College. In her spare time, you’ll find Shreya watching crime series and documentaries, reading books, and writing poetry.

Senior Manager of Organizing and Policy

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Tsering Dhoka Lama is our Senior Manager of Organizing and Policy. She oversees the organization-wide policy campaigns and organizing program areas including worker rights (Domestic Work and Nail Salon), immigration justice/TPS, youth, and civic engagement. 

Before her current position, Tsering worked in various roles as a full-time staff member — she was a policy manager, adult literacy coordinator and consultant, and a Domestic Worker organizer. She led the initial base-building of our New Jersey Domestic Worker members, a foundation of our organizing. This led to the historic passage of the New Jersey Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, signed into law in January 2024. Her experience in organizing and campaigns also contributed to that win.

Tsering was born in Nepal and moved to the U.S. in 2008. She holds a Master's in Labor Studies from the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. During her spare time, you can catch her engaging in outdoor activities and exploring diverse food choices!