For 2025-2026 Term Ending 8/31/26
Executive Committee
Rittu Kumar
PRESIDENT
Rittu owns her law firm, Kumar Law, in Beverly Hills, California. She practices extensively in the areas of employment law, business law, and estate planning. She is a former senior partner and trial attorney of a Downtown Los Angeles law firm, having successfully tried cases in both federal and state court. Rittu is also a former Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law for Appellate Advocacy and Moot Court. She has served on the Board as a Trustees since 2021, including the previous roles of President-Elect and Secretary (two terms). She is involved in community service for the South Asian community in the legal, academic, and theatrical arts communities. She gives particular importance to speaking with and mentoring our youth on issues of diversity and inclusion, and has done so with students in elementary school through law school. She previously served as the Law Student Outreach Chair for the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California and co-founded the SALSA chapter at her law school where she served as Vice-President. Rittu is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.
Samir Mehta
president-ELECT
Samir has served on the Board of the Foundation since 2022 after completing his term as the President of SABA North America. Professionally, Samir is Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at MiTek, a global company on a mission to transform the building industry with better building solutions. Samir obtained his J.D. at Washington University in Saint Louis, School of Law. A St. Louis resident for the past 15 years, Samir helped found SABA Metropolitan St. Louis and served as its President before joining the SABA North America Executive Committee. He served SABA North America in many roles before ultimately becoming its President in 2021-2022. Samir has devoted a great part of his attorney life to supporting his community. He has received awards for his pro bono work and has championed that work in SABA. Personally, Samir is a proud husband of a smarter lawyer and better human being, Heather Mehta. He is also a father of Bennett and Anika, who he fears and expects will surpass him in every way. Samir studied at Duke University and worked in technology before becoming a lawyer. In his shockingly limited free time, Samir loves running, reading, and travel.
Elizabeth Chatham
Treasurer
Elizabeth Chatham is Treasurer for the SABA North America Foundation. Liz understands the dynamic hiring environment in which her clients operate. She works with clients to obtain temporary work visas (H-1B, L-1, O, P, TN, E-1, E-2 and R visas) and permanent residence options (EB-1, Outstanding Researcher, Extraordinary Ability, Multinational Manager, National Interest waivers, PERM labor certifications, and EB-5 Immigrant Investor), in addition to counseling on individual consular processing and naturalization.
Anjana Samant
secretary
For over twenty years, Anjana has engaged in social justice work, whether as a civil rights litigator, government enforcement attorney, or advisor to organizers and advocates. She currently serves as Deputy Counsel with the New Mexico Department of Justice where she oversees the agency's Impact Litigation division, leading the state's enforcement of civil rights laws and litigation against the federal government. Previously, Anjana worked at the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, focusing on the surveillance and control of marginalized women through family regulation/child welfare, and the use of predictive analytics by social service agencies. She launched her legal career as an employment lawyer with Outten & Golden LLP and, later, government misconduct litigator with the Center for Constitutional Law. Anjana has also worked at the New York State Attorney General's Office and teaching fellow in constitutional law for the late Prof. Derrick Bell. Throughout her career, Anjana has been committed to mentoring junior attorneys and collaborating with colleagues to expand the public service bar. She is a graduate of Cornell University and NYU School of Law.
Tejas Shah
Immediate Past-President
Tejas Shah is a Partner at Barnes & Thornburg, a full-service business law firm. He is a seasoned attorney in immigration law and also maintains a pro bono practice assisting individuals and families through the National Immigrant Justice Center and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Since 2008, Tejas has had leadership roles with the local SABA Chicago chapter, SABA North America and the SABA Foundation. He previously served as a Trustee in 2010 and returns to the Foundation Board to help launch an initiative supporting an impact litigator position focused on the needs of different South Asian communities in the United States. He is a graduate of Duke University and the George Washington University Law School.
Past Presidents
2024-2025
Tejas Shah
2023-2024
ritu singh
2022-2023
Sa’adiyah masoud
2021-2022
Chintan amin
2020-2021
sucharita varanasi
2019-2020
Vinita Ollapally Mujumdar
2018-2019
Sarika Maheshwari
2017-2018
Priya Bathija
2016-2017
Ajay Mago
2015-2016
Lalitha Gunturi
2014-2015
Milan Saha
2013-2014
Ben Kuruvilla
2012-2013
Anil Mujumdar
2011-2012
Lesly Varghese
2010-2011
Abhishek Mathur
2009-2010
Jolsna John Thomas
2008-2009
Hitesh Barot
2007-2008
Rupa Singh
Board of Trustees
Mala Bajpai, Law Offices of Mala Bajpai, Esq.
Charan Brahma, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP
Monica Chawla, Norris McLaughlin P.A.
Neha Gohil, Consultant
Niji Jain, Asian American Legal Defense Fund
Rippi Karda, Verizon Communications, Inc.
Divya Khurana, Legal Aid Ontario
Nandu Machiraju, National Association of Broadcasters
John Mutchler, Robinson + Cole LLP
Nina Paul, California Civil Rights Department
Gautam Reddy, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Chaitra Shenoy, U.S. Peace Corps
Mohena Singh, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Keerthi Sugumaran, Jackson Lewis P.C.
Foundation Champions
Priya Bathija
Manisha Bhatt
Nithya Das
AJ Dhaliwal
Lalitha Gunturi
Vichal Kumar
Sonjui Kumar
Sarika Maheshwari
Rahul Ranadive
Sundeep Sandhu
Amol Sinha
Kalpana Srinivasan
Sufyan Sohel
Jolsna John Thomas
Beesham A. Seecharan
Anuradha (Anne) Gwal
Sucharita Varanasi
Vinita Ollapally Mujumdar
Mona Shah
Vijay Bondada