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leadership

Introducing our new Executive Director, Tiloma Jayasinghe

Message from Sakhi’s Board Chair

Dear Sakhi Supporters:

The Board of Directors of Sakhi for South Asian Women is delighted to announce Tiloma Jayasinghe as our Executive Director.

Tiloma, a graduate of New York University and The George Washington University Law School, was, most recently, a Social Affairs Officer at the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women. She was the first staff attorney at National Advocates for Pregnant Women as the Baron Rothschild Staff Attorney Fellow prior to assuming her role at the United Nations. As an associate at Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw, LLP, after graduating from law school, Tiloma also has experienced the complexities of the corporate sector. Tiloma, a trained doula, is a founding member of With Woman Doula Cooperativa and recently cycled out as the NY chapter representative to the Board of Directors of NAPAWF (National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.)

Tiloma brings to Sakhi a passion for women’s rights along with an integral understanding of the structural and institutional challenges immigrant women, from all walks of life, confront on a daily basis. Her work to promote and protect the rights of marginalized women is informed by Tiloma’s keen awareness of the complicated cultural constraints inherent in gender-based violence in the South Asian Community. Tiloma’s demonstrated ability to build collaborative partnerships will enable her to foster alliances in the violence against women debate to, ultimately, impact meaningful change in current attitudes on the issue of intimate partner violence and on the rights of women in general. Her field experience at both the grassroots and global levels provides a unique, multi-faceted perspective that will serve to advance Sakhi’s mission to engage individuals, communities and institutions in the movement to end violence against women.

We welcome Tiloma Jayasinghe to Sakhi for South Asian Women and look forward to the energetic enthusiasm with which she embarks on her leadership role as Executive Director to our dedicated and diligent staff. We also thank you for continuing to support Sakhi’s ongoing vital work throughout our executive transition period. As Sakhi enters its third decade of existence, we strive towards the day that we no longer need to exist because violence against women is a vestige of the past.

Sincerely,

Tamseela Tayyabkhan

Message from Sakhi’s Executive Director

Hello!

I am so thrilled to be joining this amazing organization that has done so much work to combat violence against women in the South Asian Community and beyond.  I am excited to be joining the team, and I look forward to getting to know my colleagues, my allies, the women I work for and all of Sakhi’s supporters – from its volunteers to its funders.  Sakhi has made great strides during its 20 years of existence and I intend to strengthen and expand upon the cutting-edge work that Sakhi does to transform lives, societies and to, ultimately, end violence against women. 

My own professional background has consistently focused on protecting and promoting the health and human rights of women, ensuring that those who are vulnerable and marginalized in society still have their voices heard and their needs addressed.  I have done this work from the grassroots level through to the international sphere and I intend to bring the perspective and knowledge I’ve gained from working in small towns in rural America to the General Assembly of the United Nations to advocate on behalf of survivors of intimate partner violence. 

I look forward to working with all of you.  I believe that with Sakhi’s dedicated staff, loyal supporters and committed allies, we will accomplish great things together in the coming years to combat violence against women and to promote women’s empowerment and agency.

Cheers,

Tiloma