Sudha Acharya Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Advocacy

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Sudha Acharya Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Advocacy

Sudha Acharya Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Advocacy

Sudha Acharya, Founder and Executive Director of the South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS), received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Social Advocacy from the IndoAmerican Press Club (IAPC) during the organization’s 2026 Induction and Awards Ceremony on June 21 at the Kerala Center in Elmont, New York.

The IndoAmerican Press Club is a collective of media professionals and Indian diaspora media organizations across North America to foster collaboration and professional development.

More than 100 community, business, and media leaders from across the New York tri-state area attended the ceremony. The event also marked the induction of Dr. Satheesh Kathula, former President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), as Chairman of the IAPC Board of Directors. Piyush Singh, Consul for Press and Information at the Consulate General of India in New York, presented the awards.

IAPC recognized Sudha for her decades of service and advocacy for immigrant and underserved communities. During the past 26 years, she helped grow SACSS into a community-based organization with 25 full-time staff members that now serves more than 350,000 clients each year through programs supporting families, seniors, women, and youth.

Sudha Acharya Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Advocacy

“I am delighted to receive this award, especially because it comes from people who have known me and supported my journey for many years. This recognition is incredibly meaningful to me, not only personally, but because it shines a light on the extraordinary work and impact of SACSS. Receiving this honor at the Kerala Center in Elmont makes it even more special—it is where the SACSS journey began,” she added. 

Sudha joined several distinguished honorees, including Dr. Jagdish Gupta, Dr. Inderpal Chhabra, Dr. Vinod Sancheti, Yakub Mathew, Alex Esthappan, and Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi.

SACSS congratulates Sudha on this achievement and celebrates her continued leadership in strengthening and empowering communities across New York and beyond.