Sachem North alum and former valedictorian, Ruchi Shah, has been named as the youngest member of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Council on Women and Girls.
“The fight for women’s rights and people’s rights is more important than ever,” Shah wrote on Facebook. “I am excited to work with a team of powerhouse women on the state’s first steering committee to recognize and advance women’s rights within our State.”
Shah has had an entrepreneurial spirit since her time at Sachem. She developed a mosquito repellent product that she still markets today and further enhanced as a top scholar at Stony Brook University.
According to the organization’s state website, the New York State Council on Women and Girls membership is comprised of the heads of each State agency, ensuring that Commissioners incorporate the rights of women and girls into each program created and policy enacted. The Council is housed in the Executive Chamber of the Office of the Governor, emphasizing the centrality of its work to the overall goals of the Cuomo administration.
A Steering Committee representing women from academia, business, media, and non-profit/advocacy work will advise the Council and serve to elevate issues and concerns. The Steering Committee will meet with and advise agency heads, bringing together private sector experience with government action.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro