Sudha Acharya, MBA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Sudha Acharya serves as the Executive Director of SACSS after serving as the Founder-President for the first two years. She has been active in the community for the past thirty-five plus years. She has held various responsibilities and leadership positions in several Indian American community-based organizations such as President of FIA and the Chair of the Board of Trustees of NFIA. Sudha represents the All-India Women’s Conference (AIWC) at the United Nations and served as the Chair on the NGO Committee for the Status of Women for two terms, leading 200 organizations in consultative status with the United Nations. Sudha has served in city and state level health care coalitions. Sudha’s work has been recognized with many awards, including the Union Square Award, Joan H Tisch Community Health prize for 2023, the India Abroad Award for Community Service, the Gandhi Community Award, Indo-Caribbean Network Award, the Federation of Indian Associations Award, and the Change Maker Award from Domestic Harmony Foundation, among others. She has Master’s Degrees in English Literature and Financial Management.
Rehan Mehmood
DIRECTOR: HEALTH SERVICES
Rehan supervises the healthcare access, enrollment programs at SACSS which includes Navigators, CHA, MCCAP, ICAN, COVID-19 outreach and other initiatives at SACSS. Rehan also oversees SACSS’ civic engagement and census activities. Rehan is fluent in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. Rehan can be reached at rehan@sacssny.org.
Mary Archana Fernandez
DIRECTOR: FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
Mary is a licensed social worker and oversees SACSS’ social services which includes case management, senior support services, individual and group counseling, and ESOL and computer classes. Mary is fluent in Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam and Marathi. Mary can be reached at marya@sacssny.org.
Anjali Maniam
DIRECTOR: DEVELOPMENT
Anjali brings over 20 years of experience in media, brand strategy, business development and strategic sales. She works on strategic revenue growth, fundraising, corporate relationships and donor partnerships at SACSS. She is fluent in Tamil. She can be reached at anjali@sacssny.org.
Adiba Chowdhury
SENIOR MANAGER: FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
Adiba is in charge of senior center activities and coordinates recreational trips for seniors. Adiba also connects community members to benefits such as SNAP, SCRIE, DRIE, WIC, ERAP and other programs. Adiba is fluent in Bengali, Hindi and Urdu.
Sushmita Diyali
SENIOR MANAGER: HEALTH SERVICES
Sushmita is a Navigator for the NYSOH. As a navigator she assists clients with insurance enrollment. She also coordinates activities around connecting clients to NYC Care and other healthcare benefits. Sushmita is fluent in Nepali, Hindi and Urdu.
Mahbuba Akhter
PROGRAM MANAGER: FOOD PANTRY
Mahbuba is responsible for the everyday operations and activities of the South Asian Food Pantry. She oversees home-delivery of groceries and provides recipe demonstrations at SACSS’ senior events. Mahbuba also supervises food pantry volunteers and is fluent in Bengali, Hindi and Urdu.
Anjuman Ara (Eva)
PROGRAM MANAGER: FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
Eva provides case management services such as screening and connecting clients to benefits. A trained mental health counselor Eva also conducts mental health screenings and provides individual and group supportive counseling. Eva also co-facilitates SACSS’ weekly grief support group. Eva is fluent in Bengali.
Nushmia Shafique
SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER: FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
Nushmia is a licensed social worker. At SACSS Nushmia provides individual and group supportive counseling and assists clients in accessing benefits such as SNAP, SCRIE, DRIE, ERAP and other government benefits. Nushmia also conducts psychoeducational workshops for seniors, coordinates our Summer Youth Leadership program and supervises interns and volunteers. Nushmia is fluent in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi.
Ramandeep Kaur
PROGRAM MANAGER: FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
Ramandeep provides case management and counseling services at SACSS. She conducts mental health screenings and provides individual and group supportive counseling. Ramandeep also assists clients with benefits such as SNAP, SCRIE, DRIE, and Access-A-Ride. Ramandeep is fluent in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu.
Maria Ariza
SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER: HEALTH SERVICES
Maria is an outreach specialist, she organizes and coordinates SACSS’ healthcare access events. As a community health advocate, she also assists individuals and families enroll into programs like NYC Care and connects them to affordable medical services. Maria is fluent in Spanish.
Peh Yong Teng
PROGRAM MANAGER: FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
Peh conducts health and social services outreach at SACSS and ensures that community members are connected to COVID-19 resources. Peh also assists clients with a range of public benefits. Peh is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and Hakka.
Rema Venu
PROGRAM MANAGER: JOB PREPAREDNESS
Rema is a Certified ESOL instructor. She teaches ESOL and Computer classes at SACSS. Rema is also working on “Stitch with SACSS ” A Women’s Economic Independence Program that will provide South Asian, AAPI and other immigrant women with greater independence through work-from-home opportunities. Rema is fluent in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi.
Manisha Adhikari
PROGRAM MANAGER – HEALTH SERVICES
Manisha is a Facilitated Enroller; she assists clients with enrollment in affordable health insurance. She is also a community health advocate guiding and educating clients on how to use their health insurance and access services. She is fluent in Nepali, Hindi & Urdu.
Naria Castaneda
CASE MANAGER
Naria is a navigator for the New York State of Health, she assists clients with enrollment in health insurance. She also works with the outreach team and helps community members navigate the complex healthcare system. She speaks Spanish.
Tehsin Pala
JUNIOR COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Tehsin has a keen eye for impactful storytelling and inclusive engagement. At SACSS, she ensures that every program is effectively communicated, amplifying its reach through strategic messaging and diverse, culturally aware content. She is fluent in Hindi, Gujarati, and Urdu. She can be reached at tehsin@sacssny.org.
Divya Somani
DONOR ENGAGEMENT & DIGITAL OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Divya is engagement and outreach coordinator; she is responsible for maintaining communications across channels to supporters and donors. She speaks Hindi and Urdu. She can be reached at divya@sacssny.org.
Agnes Alorro
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO ED
Agnes offers administrative/ operations support, maintaining an efficient AR/AP filing system and ensures that the food pantry has a well-stocked inventory. Agnes is fluent in Tagalog.
Hasmukhben Parekh
PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Hasmukhben manages office supplies, maintains records of office utilities and provides administrative assistance to all programs. Hasuben also supervises the office maintenance workers. Hasuben is fluent in Gujarati, Hindi and Urdu.
Nazrul
FOOD PANTRY ASSISTANT
Nazrul manages the food deliveries received from various suppliers. He also assists with the grocery deliveries to various parts of Queens. Nazrul is fluent in Bengali.
Tenzin Sonam
ASSISTANT MANAGER: FOOD PANTRY
Tenzin assists the food pantry manager with stock maintenance. He also works with the food pantry team in shelving and storing food boxes and bags. Tenzin is fluent in Tibetan, Nepali, Hindi and Urdu.
Jinbao Wan
FOOD PANTRY ASSISTANT
Jinbao assists with stocking of pallets with boxes of dry food, vegetables and fruits. As a team member he also makes sure that the food pantry is equipped with all the necessary tools. Jinbao is fluent in Mandarin and Fuzhounese.
Prem Ramankutty
OFFICE ASSISTANT
Prem assists with phone calls at the front desk and handles stock details of office supplies. He also assists with office maintenance and manages clients on Food Pantry Day. Prem speaks Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi.