Lisa is a mother, a caregiver, a community advocate, and a leader.
She currently works as a higher education consultant and previously served as the director of the Office of Community-Engaged Learning at Vassar College. The program connects the college to the community, builds capacity for local not-for-profit groups, and support first-generation college students.
Lisa was born in India. Her father was in the Indian army, and her mother was a teacher. Lisa received her B.A. from the University of Delhi and then won a Rhodes Scholarship, with funding that allowed her to study at the University of Oxford. She earned her Ph.D. in social and cultural anthropology, returned to India to work in the non-profit sector, and later taught at the University of Birmingham, England.
Lisa and her husband moved to Poughkeepsie in 2004 to be closer to her husband’s family. In Poughkeepsie, she volunteered with the Arthur S. May Elementary School PTA and led a campaign to keep the school open. She served on the Arlington Central School District’s Board of Education (years).
Lisa managed Inferno, a boys’ team with the Town of Poughkeepsie Soccer Club, and organized a Columbus Day tournament. In 2016, she co-organized the Poughkeepsie Women’s March Across the Hudson. Lisa has worked extensively with local non-profits, serving on the Impact Council of the Dutchess-Orange United Way, the After-School Working Group of the Poughkeepsie Children’s Cabinet, and the board of Finish Strong.
She volunteers at the gardens at the Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Sites growing vegetables for Dutchess Outreach and organizes the Poughkeepsie Repair Cafe.
Lisa is an active listener and a creative problem solver who values common sense, care, and collaboration. Her service to the community has been recognized by the Barrett Art Center and the Real Skill Network in Poughkeepsie, which honored her with the Rosa Parks “Community Icon” Award.
Lisa’s priorities
Support for families. Dutchess families face real challenges – rising housing prices and taxes that make it hard for young people and senior to stay in the county; a lack of affordable child- and elder-care options; and inadequate mental health services. I will be laser-focused on solving these problems, so that Dutchess remains a place where families grow and thrive together.
Nineteen years ago, I moved to Dutchess with my husband and toddler. I came here as an immigrant and found a place where people look after each other.
We do whatever it takes to care for our aging parents, for those who are less fortunate than us, and for new arrivals. We try not to be wasteful or take our beautiful land for granted. We contribute to our community and live responsibly within our means.
Dutchess deserves a county government that supports this kind of living.
Opportunities for youth. I will make sure that BOCES and Dutchess County Community College offer our young people the skills and education they need to seize new, green job opportunities — from solar installers to HVAC retrofitters to electrical engineers. We need the next generation to prosper while also making their communities cleaner and healthier.
Infrastructure and transit. I will work to ensure that we build on previously developed sites before clearing green space, and that the new housing we desperately need is connected by sidewalks and bike paths and served by public transit. If we are intentional, we can keep Dutchess beautiful while building walkable, connected communities where people want to live.