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About Sakhi

Sakhi's Staff

Purvi Shah, Executive Director, joined Sakhi staff in February 2002. Purvi, who presents routinely on Sakhi's 19 years of work to build community awareness and change attitudes which perpetuate violence, has been a featured speaker at national women's conferences, government convenings, and policy panels. Purvi provides the oversight, management, and leadership in developing the strategic focus of Sakhi's programs and operations. This includes our direct services and support, community engagement and education activities, fundraising, and general operations. She began working with Sakhi in 1996 as an active volunteer in the Literacy Committee. Purvi earned her Masters in English from Rutgers University and her first book of poetry, Terrain Tracks (New Rivers Press 2006), won a Many Voices Project prize. Purvi also currently serves as a board member of the New York Women's Foundation. Purvi is fluent in Gujarati and Spanish. Purvi can be reached at 212.714.9153 ext.101 or purvi.shah@sakhi.org.

Direct Services Program Staff  

Sakhi’s two Domestic Violence Program Advocates respond to requests for assistance from survivors of violence. They provide ongoing support, services, resources (shelter, health, and legal referrals, etc.), accompaniments (to courts, police precincts, and law offices, etc.), and translation services within Sakhi's Domestic Violence program for both new callers and approximately 200 women on an ongoing basis. The Domestic Violence Program provides services in Bengali and Hindi.

Sakhi’s Economic Empowerment Coordinator assists survivors in their journeys to financial self-sufficiency: in addition to navigating access to public benefits, school/technical programs, grants, and job training and placement referrals, she coordinates Sakhi’s financial literacy workshops and yearly tax clinic, plans computer classes, enables individual sessions for skill development, and manages the Swarna Chalasani Economic Empowerment Fund. The Economic Empowerment Coordinator is fluent in Hindi and Punjabi.

Community Engagement and Support Staff  

Sarah Crist, Development Associate, joined Sakhi in November 2008. She will focus on fashioning and implementing a comprehensive program of annual individual giving – a pivotal aspect of ensuring the sustainability of Sakhi’s much-needed programs and services. Especially in the year ahead, Sakhi’s 20th anniversary, she will play a critical role in campaign execution, event planning, major gifts procurement, and volunteer development committee coordination. Sarah possesses a B.A. with a major in Telecommunications and a minor in Gender Studies from Indiana University. Her past positions have helped her develop valuable skills including event planning, donor stewardship, and securing corporate involvement in the non-profit sector. She can be reached at 212.714.9153 ext. 102 or sarah.crist@sakhi.org.

Mohammad Levesque-Alam, Communications Coordinator, joined Sakhi in March 2008. His role is to spearhead Sakhi’s efforts to educate, raise awareness, and create dialogue to help end domestic violence. Mohammad is responsible for media advocacy, production of Sakhi’s media, community engagement and strategic relationship-building. Mohammad has a background as a reporter in the Queens weekly press and, prior to that, worked at a suburban Massachusetts daily newspaper. While pursuing his undergraduate degree at Northeastern University in Boston, he co-founded and co-edited an online political journal for progressive youth. Mohammad holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and minors in Political Science and History. He has conversational fluency in Urdu. He can be reached at 212.714.9153 ext.100 or mohammad.alam@sakhi.org.

Shazia Muhammad, Operations Coordinator, joined Sakhi staff in July 2007. Shazia leads Sakhi’s day-to-day operations including our complex administrative, financial, program, technology, and human resources work. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science in 1997 from NYU and brings to us a significant background in the non-profit sector, especially in technology-related capacities.  This includes experience updating websites, supporting a help desk, and responding to inquiries. Shazia possesses conversational fluency in Punjabi and Urdu. She can be reached at 212.714.9153 ext. 110 or shazia.muhammad@sakhi.org.