A Desi Woman with Soniya Gokhale

A Desi Woman Podcast is joined by Michigan State Representative Padma Kuppa. Padma is serving her first term representing Michigan’s 41st House District and she currently serves as Assistant Minority Whip for the House Democrats. Since moving to the 41st District more than 20 years ago, Kuppa has worked as an engineer and project manager with a career that spans the automotive, financial and IT industries. Kuppa has also been a civic leader, volunteering with the PTA throughout her children’s K-12 education, founding the Troy-area Interfaith Group to bring people of all faiths together and serving on Troy’s Planning Commission. She is currently President of the Troy Historical Society and a board member of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion. Rep. Kuppa arrived in the United States as a child, attending public schools during her formative years. She moved to India with her family as a teenager, providing her with an appreciation of how public education provides a foundation for a strong economy. Throughout her life, and especially since returning to the U.S. for graduate school more than 30 years ago, Kuppa has sought to bring people together to solve problems both in the professional world and in the community. She brings this experience to the committees she currently serves on, the House Energy and House Local Government and Municipal Finance committees. Beyond her committee work, Rep. Kuppa has introduced and co-sponsored legislation and resolutions advocating for earned paid sick leave, ensuring health care for those with preexisting conditions, protecting Michigan’s water, promoting polluter accountability, and calling for the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act to support senior wellbeing. Rep. Kuppa champions issues for several caucuses, including Labor, Education, and Mental Health. She serves as Co-Chair of the Progressive Women’s Caucus Equal Pay Task Force, Co-Chair of the Asian-Pacific American Caucus, and Historian of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus. Rep. Kuppa is also a member of the MiSTEM Council and the Prescription Drug Task Force. As the first Indian immigrant and Hindu in the state Legislature, she hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the State House.