Meet democratic political activist Atul Nakhasi at this years conference!

Interested in politics? Meet Atul Nakhasi who hails from Waterloo, IA and graduated from the University of Iowa in 2009 with his BSc in Neuroscience. During his time at Iowa, he was actively involved in raising political awareness and advocacy as President of the University of Iowa College Democrats.

His efforts contributed to the defeat of a city referendum and record-breaking youth turnout during the historic Iowa Caucuses of 2008 and were recognized nationally by major media outlets, including Good Morning America, the Wall Street Journal, ABC World News, and NPR.

Atul now serves on the Committee on Legislation and Advocacy for the American Medical Association as a first-year medical student at Johns Hopkins. He hopes to continue his advocacy efforts toward equitable and affordable healthcare far into the future.

Learn more about Atul Nakhasi and other speakers at this year’s conference on the conference website.

Q&A with Kamana Sharma – who previously attended the NetIP Conference!

Read what Kamana says about how you can make the most out of attending the conference this year – and also great advice on how you can benefit from it!

1) Tell us how you first became involved with the NetIP organization

I first became involved with NetIP through the DC Chapter as the MC for the annual cultural show – Fusion in 2005. I then joined the NetSAP DC board in 2006 and in 2009 I founded NetSAP DC’s Saturday of Service program as the Community Service Pillar Chair.

2) What are the benefits that you’ve gained from attending past NetIP Conferences?

I gained friendships, confidence, and inspiration by attending the Seattle Conference. I still stay in touch with many of the people I met in Seattle. I also gained confidence as large group settings sometimes overwhelm me. In Seattle, I felt like all the attendees were kind and interested in meeting new people. Lastly, I was inspired by all the hard work the Seattle volunteers put into the conference and decided to join the NetIP DC Conference team.

3) What is your favorite memory from a past NetIP Conference?

At Seattle 2010, my favorite memory is of Sunil Gupta’s Keynote Speech in which he spoke about how we should seize the day and not wait to accomplish our dreams “someday”.

4) If you were asked by a first-time attendee on how to make the most of the 2011 NetIP Conference, what advice
would you give?

Be social. Large groups intimidate everyone. Just smile and be open to networking and meeting new people. I still stay in touch with the people I met during a panel or in the lobby. Make the most of the conference by turning the person standing next to you and say hi

Meet Anant Shah – Program Officer of the Global Health Program

Meet Anant Shah at this year’s conference. Anant is a Program Officer on the Vaccine Delivery team in the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Focused on policies and programs related to vaccines in the developing world, Anant currently manages an effort to improve maternal, newborn, and child health in India. His work centers on innovation to realize game-changing improvements in rural health service delivery and a policy and advocacy agenda to support government decision-making for the inclusion of new vaccines into India’s national public health immunization program.

Prior to joining the foundation in mid-2008, Anant was a public health advisor at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA. Anant received his Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Health Policy and Administration, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2000), and his Master of Public Health in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from Yale University (2007). He enjoys tennis, photography, SCUBA diving, and all-things Carolina.

NetIP Conference Registration is OPEN!

Meet Rhonda Binda at the 2011 NetIP Conference!

Meet Rhonda Binda – Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to Special Representative Reta Jo Lewis, Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of State.

Ms. Binda was formerly a senior associate at Alston & Bird LLP in Energy, Infrastructure, Climate and Technology and CEO of the IOC technology consulting group.

She served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team, was a Legislative Staff Assistant on the Senate Judiciary Committee for Senator Leahy and was Special Assistant to the Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and to the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Ms. Binda received her J.D. from Georgetown University where she was an editor for the Poverty and Law Journal, was a Lord Rothermere Scholar at New College, Oxford University and has a B.A. in economics and public policy, with a minor in African-American studies, from Duke University. Ms. Binda is a member in good standing of the District of Colombia and New York bars.

Learn more about other speakers and panelists at this year’s conference on the conference website!

At the NetIP conference: Meet Hari Sreenivasan of PBS

In 2009 Hari Sreenivasan joined the new PBS NewsHour as an online and on-air correspondent. Hari makes regular news updates throughout the day on the NewsHour’s Web site in addition to appearing nightly on the program. While at CBS News, Hari reported regularly on the “CBS Evening News,” “The Early Show;” and “CBS Sunday Morning.” Before that, he served as an anchor and correspondent for ABC News, working extensively on the network’s 24-hour digital service “ABC News Now.”

Hari also reported for “World News Tonight” and “Nightline.” 

Previously, he ran his own production company and freelanced as a reporter for KTVU-TV in Oakland, Calif. (2002-04). Sreenivasan served as an anchor and senior correspondent for CNET Broadcast in San Francisco, Calif. (1996-2002) and was a reporter for WNCN-TV in Raleigh, N.C. (1995-96)

He is the recipient of the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Outstanding Broadcast Story Award presented by the South Asian Journalists Association, an organization for which he served as a board member from 2001-04. Sreenivasan is also a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and a 2003 graduate of their Executive Leadership Program. He was born in Mumbai, India, where he also spent his early childhood. Sreenivasan graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1995 with a degree in mass communication and minors in politics and philosophy.

NetIP Conference Registration is <a href=”http://guest.cvent.com/d/jdqhcy/4W?RefID=blog” target=”_blank”>OPEN!</a>

Meet writer and columnist Anand Giridharadas!

Anand Giridharadas, is an American writer and newspaper columnist. He also serves as an analyst for CNN and CBC Radio.

Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Giridharadas has since resided in Cleveland, Paris and Maryland. He studied the history of political thought at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford. After college, he moved to Mumbai in 2003, where he worked as a consultant for the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

He has written pieces for the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times. In 2008 he was promoted to columnist at The New York Times. In addition, he serves as an active lecturer, panelist and moderator at universities, the United Nations and private companies.

In 2011, he released his first book ”India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of a Nation’s Remaking.” He has recently appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and has also been featured on NPR. India Calling is the official book c;lub pick for the 2011 NetIp Conference.

Learn more about Anand Giridharadas and other conference speakers on the conference website.
NetIP Conference Registration is OPEN!