Committee

Hrishikesh Joshi

President 2016 -18

Founding Committee 2015

The Spokane India Community was conceived in a community meeting involving approximately 30 individuals who shared a common goal of organizing our community. The founding committee then took the final steps to make it a reality by forming “Spokane India Community" in September 2015 and formally registering SIC as a non-profit organization with the state of Washington.

Hrishikesh (Rishi) is a WSU graduate in Mechanical Engineering, an entrepreneur, an ardent athlete, and a community organizer. He migrated to the U.S.A. in 1999 for his graduate studies and began his career in Pullman. He moved to Spokane in 2007 and later co-founded the Spokane Cricket Club (SPCC) in 2009. Rishi has overseen its operations since then and is currently serving as SPCC’s President. Every summer, the SPCC team participates in competitive cricket through the NorthWest Cricket League. After a successful 15-year tenure in his first job, he co-founded Levitek in October 2015. And a month before, in September 2015, he led a small group of highly motivated Spokane residents of Indian origin to form the Spokane India Community (SIC). Rishi served as the president since SIC’s inception until January 2018. He helped develop and refine the mission, the vision, and the bylaws for SIC in its early days. He also inspired the team to build a sustainable organization. Rishi enjoys various outdoor activities such as water rafting, rock climbing, mountaineering, skiing, and hiking.

Nishant Puri

Secretary 2016-18

Nishant was born and raised in Chandigarh, India, and after training in California, moved to Spokane in 2014 to work as an interventional gastroenterologist at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. He was thrilled to be part of the founding committee of SIC. He enjoyed working with the diverse committee to bring the Spokane Indian community together under a formal organization, allowing them to participate in multiple festivals and events. He also headed the Spokane Hindu Society sub-committe,e which holds the monthly kid-oriented religious meets and was formed to realize the eventual dream of a Hindu temple in Spokane.

Jayesh Modha

Treasurer 2016-18

Jayesh was born and raised in Porbandar, Gujarat. Upon graduating in IT Engineering, he started his career in the Software Industry in India before moving to Spokane in 2007. He is currently working as a Technical Architect in a local Healthcare IT company. Jayesh has a deep interest in bringing Indian culture, food, and heritage to Spokane. He brought Bal Gokulum to the Spokane community, which benefited Spokane youth and helped it run successfully. He enjoys connecting with people from India and volunteering in various community activities. He created a Facebook group in 2012 to provide a social platform for community members to build friendships. It proved beneficial, especially for new families moving into Spokane. It is now an official FB page of the Spokane India Community (SIC). Jayesh is one of the founding members of SIC and has served as Treasurer since the organization's inception until January 2018. He is an amateur photographer, skier, and cricketer.

Sowmya Surapaneni

Vice President 2016 -18

somsb4u@yahoo.com

Sowmya moved to Spokane in 2002 from Gudivada, located in southern India. In 2003, she began an impressive career and managed the Gordon/Zales jewelry store in Spokane Valley for three years. She was nominated “Best manager of the year” for two consecutive years. She couldn't trade her special time with her kids and decided to take a break from her career. She turned into a photographer and enjoyed capturing her family's little stories and big adventures. Later, she resumed her career and has been in the Software testing field at Itron for the past 8 years. She makes time to be involved in several community activities. She is currently the Vice President of the Parent-Teacher Student Association (PTSA) at Liberty Lake Elementary School, spearheading the effort to bring the Invent Washington program to the school for the first time. Sowmya has also been successfully coaching Liberty Lake Elementary students for the Math is Cool competition for 4 years now. She enjoys helping kids showcase their talents and has been directing kids’ theater plays/dramas for Diwali events for the last 5 years. She served as a Vice President for the Spokane India Community (SIC) executive committee from 2016 to 2018.

Rupali Joshi

Community Outreach Coordinator 2016-17

Join-Secretary 2017-18

Rupali graduated from the reputed Sir. J. J. College of Architecture in 1999. As a licensed Architect, she professionally evolved in her hometown of Mumbai and later co-founded Archilogics, a design firm, in 2004. After a successful stint as an entrepreneur, she moved to Pullman, WA, in 2006 to join her husband. Despite lacking local experience, she was able to leverage her extensive professional achievements in architecture to secure a job as Project Manager at Bernardo Wills Architects in Spokane in the fall of 2007. Later, her professional path led to Cue2design, an interior design firm she founded in July 2015. Around the same time, Rupali passionately pursued her personal undertaking and teamed up with other enthusiasts to establish SIC in September 2015. She helped SIC evolve by introducing various initiatives and by managing SIC operations professionally. Rupali's significant contribution to SIC was its virtual identity that she single-handedly imagined, designed, and created. She further enhanced SIC's web presence by designing a custom logo, improving branding, and creating social media publications and a remarkable website. In her spare time, she also enjoys imaginative endeavors such as poetry and blogging.