California Lt. Gov. Kounalakis, Consul General Reddy Applaud Women’s Achievements At ‘Naari 2026’
Photo: Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California with Reddy and his wife
India-West News Desk
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Association of Indo Americans, in partnership with the Consulate General of India, San Francisco, hosted ‘Naari 2026 – International Women’s Day Celebration’ on March 8, honoring women leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of Lifetime Achievement Awards to three distinguished leaders: California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former U.S. Ambassador Shefali Razdan Duggal, and philanthropist Neeru Khosla.
Kounalakis was recognized for her leadership in public service and fostering international collaboration, Duggal for her diplomatic contributions, and Khosla for her transformative work in education through accessible learning resources. During the event, Lt. Gov. Kounalakis emphasized that gatherings like ‘Naari’ strengthen international relationships by bringing together people from diverse cultural backgrounds, fostering understanding and collaboration that benefit communities, trade, and cultural exchange.
The event also presented the Geetha Ramakrishnan Memorial Award to Srima Ranganathan, honoring women who embody the spirit of excellence of the late CA Geetha Ramakrishnan. In addition, 48 ‘Trailblazer Women’ were recognized across sectors including public service, technology, healthcare, entrepreneurship, education, and community leadership.
The honorees included Prathima Reddy Koppula, Catherine Stefani, Penny Coulter, Christine Pelosi, Ranganathan, Sonita Lontoh, Lily Mei, Sherry Hu, Anita Manwani, Noreen King, Hannah Kain, Mamta Bhandari, Dr. Nilima Ragavan, Beena Ammanath, Vasu Jakkal, Shalini Govil-Pai, Sundari Mitra, Sulata Mitra Sarkar, Sumita Jayaraman, Shabana Shiraz, Sema Sharma, Amrita Kar, Leela Mathur, Priya Kannan, Meena Sivaramakrishnan, Padma Parthasarathy, Shubha Prithviraj, Reema Mukherjee, Lizy John, Reni Poulose, Lekshmi Shaiju, Rinu Nair, Namrita Yuhanna, Shampy Prakash, Renu Bhatt, Sudha Prabhunandan, Sheetal Jharia, Gayatri Joshi, Archana Panda, Renuka Chavva, Radhika Sharma, Jyothi Chigullapalli, Minal Joshi, Meghna Patel, and Riya Patel.
The celebration included networking, keynote speeches, and cultural performances, providing a platform for collaboration and inspiration among community, business, and technology leaders from Silicon Valley.
The Association of Indo Americans is a coalition of over 50 nonprofit organizations promoting civic engagement, cultural unity, and community service in the region.
