Akil Vohra

For over a decade, Akil has worked to improve equity and access for some of our nation’s most marginalized communities. As former Director of Strategic Initiatives at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI), Akil led the team that guides federal government policy on education, civil rights, bullying and harassment, data, workforce diversity, religion, language access, and My Brother’s Keeper. He was also the principal liaison to President Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and developed partnerships with community-based organizations, nonprofits, businesses, and trade associations to advance their work. Prior to that, Akil created and led the Muslim Charity Works campaign at Muslim Advocates, working with grassroots nonprofits to develop best practices, and advocating for policy change on the federal level on charitable giving and anti-terrorism financing. Akil has served on the Boards of several organizations, including the Bay Area Association of Muslim Lawyers, the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, DC, and US Kids, a daycare, and was previously a Rothschild Fellow. Akil is a product of California public schools, graduating from the University of California, Irvine. He received his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School in 2002.