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| ashu |
Posted
on 22-May-01 11:54 PM
ANA is an Association of Nepalis in the Americas.
What follows is from Jeetendra Joshee who lives and works
in Connecticut. This is just for public record.
I myself neither support nor oppose any of these candidates.
oohi
ashu
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From: bandipure@hotmail.com
Subject: ANA Candidate Introductions
Dear ANA Members:
Namaste! My name is Jeetendra Joshee and I am running for President of the Association of Nepalis in the Americas (ANA). As the Elections Committee informed me, all of you who are voting members will receive a ballot in the mail within the next 2 weeks. You will have until the last week of June to cast your vote and return the ballot. I would like to ask for your support and request that you vote for me and my panel identified below.
ANA has almost a two-decade long history in America. It has grown and matured as new people like you and me have dared and emerged to take leadership. Although it is still a truly volunteer organization, it has gained tremendous strengths in recent years with an increased sense of volunteerism among its members. It is also due to the fact that new generations of Nepalis are an integral part of ANA now.
However, some of the senior members of ANA doubt that new generation like myself can handle leadership roles in ANA and therefore have discouraged me from running. But please note that the doubters are only a handful, but nonetheless they carry some weight around ANA. My panel and I differ with that viewpoint. We believe, in order for ANA to broaden its scope and service to the community, it must welcome the new generation and change the old ways of doing business.
Because it is no longer the ANA of the old days where only a few gathered and entertained. I am pleased that a majority of senior members in ANA along with many members like you agree with our ideas and have supported us.
I believe we volunteer and want to participate in ANA because we are very proud of our traditions and culture and we genuinely care about our community. We take pride in our values taught by our elders and through ANA and its activities, we want to preserve those important values. I pledge that I will work to the best of my abilities to take ANA to the next level – keeping the tradition and its core values but in the meantime, broadening its horizon.
I will propose a strategic plan with inputs from the larger membership to complete the long awaited Nepal Educational and Cultural Center where the Pasupatinath and Buddha Temples are being built. My plan will include a step by step action items so that our goals are attainable. We have made good progress and come a long way but we all know we still have a long way to go before the temples are completed. We need money, time, volunteers, donors, lenders as well as well wishers. All this can be done only with realistic approach and a tactical action plan.
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| ashu |
Posted
on 23-May-01 12:00 AM
My panel represents the true picture of ANA and the Nepali Community in North America. Your vote for this panel and me will be a vote for new ideas, new energy, diversity, inclusiveness, openness and more importantly a vote for a bunch of go-getters and doers. Our vision is broad and our mission is specific.
The following are introductions of the candidates in my panel. My apologies for the length of this e-mail. But I thought you would want to know us a little bit more. I thank you for your patience.
Jeetendra Joshee - for ANA President
Contributions to ANA: Jeetendra Joshee has been one of the active members of ANA for many years by serving in committees and presenting in conventions. He is a Life Member of ANA and for the last 2 years he has been serving as Chief-Editor of the Association’s newsletter - In-Touch. As the Chief-Editor, he has revitalized the newsletter by giving it a new look filled with newsworthy articles and diversified columns. Before this Jeetendra served on ANA Executive Committee.
Jeetendra was also the Convention Chair of ANA’s 17th Annual Convention in Hartford Connecticut. He orchestrated a very professional and successful convention for the first time in ANA history with professional sessions, organized management and greater participation. He also played a key role in forming the Nepal Association of Southern New England – a local affiliate of ANA.
In 1998, Jeetendra was also instrumental in holding a fund raising event in Connecticut to help support the Nepal Educational and Cultural Center. Connecticut has a small number of Nepali families, but the event raised over $4,000. Although it was not a huge amount, events like this gave great pride for a small Nepali community and was seen as an encouraging model for many other communities around the country.
Professional Background: Jeetendra Joshee has been a teacher and higher education administrator for many years. Currently, he is Assistant Dean at the University of Connecticut, College of Continuing Studies. Before moving to Connecticut, he worked as Director of Academic Programs at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His areas of expertise are in international education, educational planning and management and development education. He holds a Doctorate in Education from UMass and a Management Certificate from Harvard University.
He is very active in several professional organizations. From 1995-1999, he was elected first as Treasurer and then Chair of the New England University Continuing Education Association. He sits on the Board of the Uconn Faculty and Staff Association and served as its Vice President for 2 years.
Before coming to US, Jeetendra worked for many international agencies in Nepal, most notably the United States Peace Corps. He was also a high school teacher in Bandipur, Tanahun.
Personal Pledge to Serve ANA: As President of ANA, my major goals during my tenure will include but not limited to the following:
· Complete the Nepal Educational and Cultural Center in Washington DC which includes the Pashupatinath and Buddha temples, a library, a museum and a community hall. I will develop a strategic plan with identified attainable goals and a step by step process of completing the project.
· Increase the membership base throughout North America and broaden the scope of ANA by being part of the larger community rather than a secluded one.
· Encourage new ideas, voices, faces, and create leadership opportunities to serve for those who are interested.
· Be an advocate to promote and preserve our culture, tradition, and values.
· Support and work with other smaller/regional organizations throughout the Americas and bring them into the larger picture, include and encourage them to be part of ANA projects and activities.
· Make ANA inclusive, diverse, open and transparent.
· Provide better management for the Association utilizing the best practices principles.
Personal: Jeetendra and his wife Subarna lives in Coventry, Connecticut. Their son Abiral is a 3rd year student at Northeastern University in Boston. Their daughter Nisha is married and lives with her family in Connecticut. If you would like to talk with Jeetendra, he can be reached at 860-742-6854 or through e-mail at Bandipure@hotmail.com.
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| ashu |
Posted
on 23-May-01 12:02 AM
Girija Gautam - for ANA Vice President
Contributions to ANA: Girija Gautam is currently the Secretary of ANA, in which he has been serving since 1997. He has been on the ANA Executive Board since 1993. Girija is one of the most articulate and active members of ANA and has provided his services to the community with generosity and dignity. Girija is a Life Member of ANA.
Girija Chaired the 1996 ANA Annual Convention held in Wayne, New Jersey. He was able to mobilize a large Nepali community in New York/New Jersey area. As a result, he held ANA’s largest fund raising event in New York City to help the Nepal Education and Cultural Center in DC. Although Girija in recent years has moved South to the warmer country, his legacy of community work and volunteerism in New York area is alive and well. Already he is starting a strong close knit Nepali community in Tennessee.
In addition to the above, Girija is also Co-Chair of the ANA Public Affairs Committee. The main function of this committee is to work with officials in Nepal for a Special Visa status for all people of Nepali origin living abroad and North America in particular. He has been working with several attorneys here in the States as well as in Nepal. This is an important undertaking of ANA, which will benefit many Nepalis who are away from their homeland.
Girija has also been assigned by ANA Executive Board to Chair a committee to explore the possible linkages between ANA and the Nepalese American Council.
Profession: Girija Gautam is an attorney by profession and practiced law in New York/New Jersey area until recently. He has a LLM degree from Columbia Law School, class of 1989. As ambitious as Girija is, he is currently testing the waters in the business world down south in Tennessee.
Personal Pledge to Serve ANA: Diversity, openness, strategic management and order are important issues for Girija. He will bring his experience, knowledge, skill and selfless unconditional service to ANA for many years to come.
As Vice President of ANA, Girija will continue to Co-Chair the Public Affairs Committee and will do his best to get to the bottom of the Special Visa provision. He will also work towards broadening the scope of ANA by expanding membership in the southern States.
Personal: Girija lives in Cordova, Tennessee (near Memphis) with his wife Kapila and daughter. If you want talk with Girija, please call him at 615-893-1090 or through e-mail at Girijagautam@aol.com.
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| ashu |
Posted
on 23-May-01 12:04 AM
Uttam Khatri - for ANA Vice President
Contribution to ANA: Uttam Khatri is currently Co-chairman of the Nepal Education and Cultural Center and serves on its management committees. He is a Life Member of ANA and has been active for many years in the Association serving in various committees and activities.
Uttam was instrumental in organizing and preparing the installation of Lord Pashupatinath and Buddha Mandir, which was held in September 2000. He has worked tirelessly in the temple activities and has helped organize fund raising events for ANA/NECC including the first fund raising event participated by Sir Edmund Hillary several years ago.
He has brought many of his relatives and friends to ANA as Life and general members and has helped the Association grow significantly during the past few years.
Professional Background: Uttam Khatri is employed in the U.S. Regulatory Commission and works as a Team Leader of Staff Accountants in the Division of Finance with Foxx and Company, CPA. He holds 2 Masters, a Commerce degree from Tribhuvan University and a Business and Public Administration degree from Southeastern University in Washington DC.
Personal Pledge to Serve ANA: As an active member and a quiet performer already for NECC, Uttam will be heavily involved in the development and completion of the temples and the entire NECC project.
Uttam will work his best to bring as many people in the greater Washington DC area and beyond to be part of NECC. He will take leadership role, form committees, set goals and act with the community. He will make NECC a true community effort.
Personal: Uttam lives in Maryland with his wife Usha and daughters Upama, Utsha and Upasana. You can reach him at 301-431-7564 or through e-mail at UttamUshaKhatri@CS.com
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| ashu |
Posted
on 23-May-01 12:07 AM
Suman Raj Timsina - for ANA Secretary
Contribution to ANA: Suman Timsina is currently serving as member of the ANA Executive Committee as well as on the editorial board of the newsletter In-Touch. He has been actively involved with ANA. Suman launched the Nepali Entrepreneurs Group under ANA. NEG is a networking and resource-sharing platform representing Nepali entrepreneurial activities in North America. His family has established Dr. Dilli Ram Timsina Memorial award to recognize an organization working to promote art, child welfare, community development, economic development, education, elderly care, environment protection, language, literature, media and communication, physical and behavioral health, women’s status, social movements, and youth welfare for Nepali community. The award is given annually at the ANA Convention.
Suman is also the Convener and Chief Host of ANA’s 19th Annual Convention being held this coming July 4th weekend in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He has formed a very diversified group of new members and started a Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Association of Nepalis in the Americas. Suman is a tireless fundraiser. He and his team in Philadelphia are working hard for over a year to make the annual convention successful.
Suman has also contributed to Nepal Education Cultural Center by cosponsoring a TV programs with the Priest of Lord Pashupatinath-Buddha Temple and NECC on Sagarmatha TV. The program is broadcast every other week in the Washington DC area.
Professional Background: Suman has a wide array of experience in cross-cultural management, cross-cultural patient care, and managing diversity. He provides consultancy and presentations on areas such as leading diversity initiatives, global management, leading teams and integrating cultural issues in all training, development and human resource processes. He serves on numerous professional groups. He is in the board of Multicultural Training and Research Institute at Temple University, Philadelphia. Suman has published 2 books and several articles in professional journals.
Personal Pledge to serve ANA: Diversity, inclusiveness and openness in the community are important things for Suman. As the Secretary of the Association, he will do his best to reach out to every member of our community and keep the communication lines open. He will also work closely with ANA web master to redesign the ANA homepage.
Suman will play a vital role in the Association keeping the long-range vision of this Panel. As he has already proven, he will continue to increase the membership base of the Association and make ANA the premier national organization of Nepalis in the Americas.
Personal: Suman and his wife Ritu lives in Collegeville, PA with their newly born baby girl. Ritu is also actively involved with Nepali community and ANA. Please contact him at 610-831-9286 or through e-mail at stimsina@yahoo.com.
Bidya Ranjeet - for ANA Chief-Editor
Contributions to ANA: Bidya currently serves on the ANA Executive Board and is also the Chair of its Membership Committee. As the Chair, Bidya has worked hard to increase the Association’s membership base by persistent request and relentless personal pursuits with many individuals.
Bidya was a key member of the organizing committee of the ANA Hartford Convention. She served as the Program Committee Chair and designed a very professional conference program. She initiated submission of proposals for the convention for quality control, which has now become a trend in ANA conventions. Bidya was also instrumental in organizing the Connecticut fund raising event to support NECC.
Professional Background: Bidya works at the University of Connecticut as the Director of Student Support Services. She holds a Doctorate in Education. Her areas of expertise are in educational leadership and administration.
Bidya is an active professional with leadership positions in Connecticut Association of Educational Opportunity Programs and the New England Educational Opportunity Association.
Personal Pledge to Serve ANA: Bidya’s main goal as Chief Editor of ANA is simply to serve the community by producing an interesting and informative newsletter, the In-Touch. Under her leadership, the newsletter will reflect the needs and interests of all Nepalis throughout North America. She will continue the professionalism in our publication and expand various columns according to the interest of its readership.
In addition, social issues, diversity, and communities are important areas for Bidya. She will work hard to make ANA the best Association amongst all.
Personal: Bidya lives in Storrs, Connecticut with her husband Narendra and daughters Beeva, Neeva and Minerva. She can be reached at 860-423-5564 or through e-mail at Bidya.Ranjeet@Uconn.edu.
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| ashu |
Posted
on 23-May-01 12:09 AM
Nirmal Karki – For ANA Treasurer
Contributions to ANA: Nirmal Karki is a Life Member of ANA and has been very active in the organization for a long time. He has attended last 15 ANA conventions. He was an instrumental member of the organizing team of the ANA Annual Convention in Rochester, NY. In 1998, he utilized his community connections in organizing a fund raising event for the Nepal Educational and Cultural Center and was able to collect more than $12,000, a great achievement for a city with less than 50 Nepalis. Nirmal and his family established the first Memorial Award “Nripa Karki Memorial Award” given annually at the ANA convention with $500 cash going to the NECC fund. This started a noble tradition of honoring community leaders for their lifetime service and contributing to the NECC Fund.
Profession: Nirmal completed his CA in New Delhi and worked as an independent Auditor for many large corporations in Nepal. After coming to the USA, he has been working as an Accountant and is currently the Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer at the Store Crafters, a multi-million dollar building conglomerate.
Personal Pledge to Serve ANA: Over the years, ANA has become a national organization with more than 500 members and has accumulated sizable assets. It also has undertaken a huge project of building the Nepal Educational and Cultural Center in Washington DC. Therefore, ANA needs a Treasurer who is qualified and experienced to manage its finances as well as help ANA comply with complex financial regulations in order to maintain its tax-free status. So far ANA has neither filed any tax return nor made its financial report available to its members which could result in the loss of tax exempt status. For the first time, with the help of Mr. Nic Thakur, Nirmal was able to prepare its financial statement for the year 2000 and file the tax return. While working at this project, he has learned that ANA needs to develop, implement and improve its accounting and financial management practice if it wants to continue and conform with the tax laws without any problems.
As a Treasurer of ANA Nirmal will work hard to bring ANA’s book in order according to the tax laws and will present the annual operating budget in its Annual Meeting for approval by the General Body. He will also have the annual financial report reviewed by a Certified Public Accountant and make it public to all ANA members. This way all members will be aware of how ANA is spending their membership dues and donation money. This will bring total openness and transparency of ANA finances. And, in keeping the theme of this Panel Nirmal will work to make ANA an inclusive, open, transparent and member driven national organization of all Nepalis in the Americas.
It’s a tough task and only someone with the depth of experience and knowledge like Nirmal’s can make it happen. Nirmal is the right candidate for Treasurer. He brings professional experience as well as personal commitment to ANA. He has the knowledge, skill and experience of a financial manager.
Personal: Nirmal has been residing in Rochester, New York with his wife Sushma, daughter Snehata, and son Madur for the last 15 years. He is very active in the local community of Rochester. Please contact Nirmal at 716-385-4645 or through e-mail at Nkarki@Rochester.RR.Com
Thank you so much
Jeetendra Joshee
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