About Us

Currently Director of Major Gifts at the Environmental Defense Fund, Anouska Cheddie has held development roles with Planned Parenthood Federation of America and North Star Fund. She got her start as a political fundraiser for progressive candidates. From 2008-2015, she served on the Board of South Asian Americans Leading Together.

Chris Hanway is Executive Director of the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement. His 18 years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector includes roles at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the Institute for Classical Architecture, and the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Gurjot Kaur is currently an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP doing transactional legal work in the firm’s M&A practice. Kaur is of Punjabi descent and has lived in California and Ohio before moving to New York. She also chairs the Young Lawyers Division of the South Asian Bar Association of New York and seeks out pro bono work relating to non-profits and community development organizations. As a member of the Chhaya board, Kaur hopes to provide support with governance and related matters.

Jeremy Benjamin serves as a Pro Bono Attorney at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where he manages the firm’s pro bono litigation efforts. He is a former chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Civil Rights, has been active in numerous policy advocacy campaigns, and is committed to advancing the power and well-being of the communities Chhaya serves.

Kunchok Dolma, is an Associate at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, where her practice encompasses general commercial and construction litigation. Kunchok won an Emmy award for creating and producing civic engagement films for English language learners. Working under Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio, she founded New York City’s premier English language learning program, We Speak NYC. Kunchok has taught at the City University of New York and developed a nationally recognized adult education program. She has an M.Phil from the University of Oxford and J.D from the University of Virginia. She is a Clarendon scholar, an Urban Fellow and a Watson Fellow. Kunchok is a Tibetan refugee born in Nepal, recently served as the Chair of the board of directors for the New York Tibetan Service Center and remains active in her community and her firm’s pro-bono practice.

Muhammad currently serves as an Associate Director at SPS by Bain & Co. He's a native New Yorker who lives in Jackson Heights and is deeply connected with the South Asian/Indo Caribbean community. Years ago, he was a student for SAT prep at SAYA and became involved for three years in different capacities. He is a long-time advocate for Chhaya's mission, particularly drawn to its commitment for economic justice and grassroots community outreach. Muhammad aspires to collaborate with Chhaya in their endeavor to enhance the community for all its members.

Nahida (She/Her) is the Director of Narrative & Communications at National CAPACD, a coalition of nearly 100 community-based organizations that serve low-income Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities to advance equity and create healthy, vibrant neighborhoods. Originally from NYC, she worked for several years as a Community Organizer at Chhaya CDC. Nahida's commitment to justice is rooted in her own experiences growing up in a working-class Bangladeshi Muslim community in Brooklyn. She has a BA in History & International Studies from Fordham University and an MA in South Asian Studies from Columbia University.

With experience in public finance, e-commerce, and data analytics, Reshma Patel works with nonprofits to set up data analytics platforms to measure impact. Previously, she structured over $35 billion of bond transactions for state and local governments. Active in civic and volunteer roles, she is President of the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club.

Ryan D. Budhu is an associate at Arnold Porter Kaye Scholer, LLP, where his practice focuses on antitrust, complex commercial, and general litigation for clients across a broad spectrum of industries. Mr. Budhu also maintains an active pro bono practice, including currently representing a death row inmate asserting religious liberty claims against a state prison system. Mr. Budhu served as SABANY President during the 2019 term.

Tylsley Phillips brings over 30 years of experience in financial markets with a focus on technology, data, and process innovation. He has led global product launches, enhanced market data solutions, and collaborated with teams at all levels worldwide, guided by an entrepreneurial mindset, critical thinking, and empathy. An immigrant from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, his personal journey inspires his commitment to immigrant communities. He serves as board member and treasurer of NYIC Immigrant Action, advocating for policies that reflect diverse voices. Tylsley holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from the New York Institute of Technology and has pursued graduate studies in Computer Science at the Polytechnic Institute of Technology.