Nisha Ramachandran: Executive director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

Many Hill staffers set early sights on a career in politics with clear designs for a life in Washington. 

Nisha Ramachandran is not among them.

The Scottsdale, Ariz., native was nudged into a legislative fellowship a decade ago by a friend in a similar program who offered a simple message: “Just try it.” 

“I stumbled upon Capitol Hill a little bit by accident,” she said.

With that 2013 fellowship — an 18-month stint in the office of Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) — Ramachandran “caught the bug,” she says, that “launched a career in policy and advocacy and community work.”

She hasn’t looked back. After leaving Bera’s office, Ramachandran moved next to the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, where she served as policy manager for three years, then led her own consulting firm, with a similar advocacy focus, for another two. 

She returned to the Hill in 2021 as executive director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, known as CAPAC, where she remains today. In that role, Ramachandran, 37, works with a broad range of people — in D.C. and far beyond — with the singular goal of ensuring that federal policy reflects the concerns of Asian Americans nationwide.

“A lot of the work is making sure that we’re hearing from communities, that we’re understanding the issues that they’re facing on the ground, and we’re finding ways to address them through Congress,” she said.

There have been challenges along the way. 

Just as Ramachandran was returning to Capitol Hill, the country was experiencing a rash of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans — a trend she says was fueled not only by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the derogatory language adopted by then-President Trump.

“The rhetoric matters,” she said.

But Ramachandran said she’s mostly been heartened by her experience on the Hill.

“We’re seeing more engagement from members across the board,” she said. “That has been surprising and really great to see.”