Adhikaar welcomes Mamta Gurung Nyangmi as Interim Executive Director
A trusted former board member and an experienced nonprofit leader, Mamta steps in as Adhikaar prepares for its next chapter of growth.
Adhikaar, the leading advocacy organization for the Nepali-speaking community in the US, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mamta Gurung Nyangmi as Interim Executive Director.
Mamta is no stranger to Adhikaar. She served as a board member during Adhikaar’s formative years and has been a steadfast supporter of its work. With nearly two decades of nonprofit leadership experience, Mamta brings both deep community knowledge and global perspective to this role. Most recently Mamta managed a $15m social services grant portfolio administered to more than 70 community-based organizations serving Asian immigrants while at the Asian American Federation, and held leadership roles at Chhaya CDC, advancing the well-being of South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities in New York. Internationally, she led social protection and safety net programs at the UN World Food Programme in Nepal and managed the Asia Pacific portfolio at the Global Child Nutrition Foundation.
Her lived experience also mirrors that of many Adhikaar members. Born in a remote mountain village in Nepal, Mamta was the first woman in her community to attend college. Her parents, who never had access to formal schooling, including her mother who is illiterate, inspired her commitment to social justice.
“When I meet a 72-year-old woman at Adhikaar diligently attending English and digital literacy classes, I see my own mother in her,” Mamta said. “That is why Adhikaar’s work is so personal to me, it is about building dignity and opportunity across generations. As the Interim Executive Director, my priority is to ensure continuity of services and launch a community-based planning process to identify the most pressing current needs to guide the next chapter of impact together.”
The Nepali-speaking population is one of the fastest growing immigrant communities in the US. The US Census reported an increase by nearly 269% between 2010 to 2020, with 8% living in NYC alone — roughly 1 in 13 — making it one of the largest and most visible Nepali-speaking hubs in the country. Mamta’s tenure comes at a time when many of Adhikaar’s members holding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are now at risk of detention and deportation.
“Our members have built their lives here in the US — working, paying taxes, and contributing to our communities. Many have families and US-born children for whom America is their only home. To strip away their protections now would cause devastating family separations and lasting harm to our neighborhood, schools and local economies. Adhikaar stands in solidarity with all those affected. Adhikaar’s organizers have been working round the clock connecting those affected to legal, hosting safety, know your rights training and other rapid response resources. Together with our movement partners we continue to fight for their rights,” Mamta affirmed.
About Adhikaar
Adhikaar, meaning “rights” in Nepali, is a NY based women-led community and workers’s center providing essential services and mobilizing the Nepali-speaking community to raise our voices and take collective action against injustices on issues affecting us. Our program areas are workers’ rights, immigrant rights, access to healthcare, and language justice.
Established in 2005, Adhikaar has assisted thousands of individuals and families, trained hundreds of new leaders, and successfully changed policies and created new laws at local, state, national, and international levels, including the New York and New Jersey Domestic Workers Bill of Rights and the International Domestic Workers’ Convention.
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