I am a middle class, queer/lesbian/bigender, caste-privileged Indian American. As a young adult, I became involved with social justice organizations, serving and advocating for women, people with disabilities, and queer people of color. What most influenced my perspective was growing up in an immigrant family, having a mother who spoke very little English, became deaf when I was seven, and suffered from mental illness for most of her adult life; and a father who was a lifelong public servant, who sent money back home, and who saved in anticipation of paying dowry for his three daughters. My parents were deeply religious and were founding members of a local Hindu temple, which informs my deep agnostic sense of spirituality, complicates my relationship with religious institutions, and ignites my hopes and beliefs that people and communities can change to embrace social justice. As my elder caregiving duties have increased this past year, I am taking more time to balance work and personal time.My racial equity/racial justice and class lens is informed by growing up in the 1970s and 1980s in the DC-metro area, witnessing racial injustice as well as experiencing it as a second generation brown-skinned daughter of immigrants, and staying steadfast in the self-examination of the ways in which I hold privilege, perpetuate systemic injustices, and am harmed and benefitted by different levels of oppression.My values-aligned, people-centered, and movement-oriented HR practice is informed by my experiences (1) being in both line staff and leadership positions; (2) working in all three sectors (government, for-profit, and nonprofit); (3) serving as a community leader in QPOC organizations; and (4) advocating for equity, access, and belonging within and beyond the walls of our organizations and community spaces.I am a lifelong student, with varied interests including law, neuroscience, leadership and identity development, movement building, team building and collaboration, and the conditions necessary for psychological and behavioral change.What inspires me the most is making a positive material difference in people’s lives and driving social change and transformation – in me, in you, in the people we work with, and in the communities we serve.My personal mission is to break down barriers, nurture learning spaces, and inspire transformations that advance justice. My shared mission (with my wife) is to create and contribute to affirming and inclusive spaces so that people feel connected to community and ignited to live their purpose.