Rao Chalasani, Bank of America, Bofa, New York, New Jersey

2.  New Jersey resident Rao Chalasani is a
former CTO and risk strategist director at
Bank of America (BofA) in New York, NY. An
active member of the community, Rao
Chalasani supports several organizations,
including Sakhi for South Asian Women. In
2002, he established the Swarna Chalasani
Economic Empowerment Fund with the
organization in memory of his late sister
Swarna Chalasani, who helped women
that were socially and economically
disadvantaged.

3.  Sakhi for South Asian Women was founded in
1989 with the goal of supporting women who
have survived domestic violence. Working
predominantly with women who can trace
their backgrounds to India, Nepal, and other
South Asian countries, the organization
supports women through a variety of programs
and services. One of Sakhi’s programs is the
Economic Empowerment Program, which was
formerly introduced in 2001. The program
provides economic security and financial
stability to domestic abuse survivors by offering
assistance with credit and banking services as
well as case management.

4.  Sakhi’s Economic Empowerment Fund also
includes the Swarna Chalasani Scholarship
Fund. The fund supports women who
survived domestic violence as they reach
their higher education goals. The funds are
disbursed in two cycles during the year, and
each survivor is awarded an average of
$1,500. Women may apply as many times
as they like and can use the money for such
things as undergraduate and graduate
programs, nursing school, and licenses.