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Newsmakers of the Week JANUARY 31, 2025 | The Indian Eye 27

PREETI SHANKAR PRIYANKA CHOPRA

The Joyce Foundation Names Star urges support for Angelenos

Environment Program Officer affected by Wildfires

ctor Priyanka Chopra has expressed her deep sorrow and urged people
to support the victims who have been affected by the devastating Los
AAngeles wildfires in California.
On Thursday, Priyanka penned a long note where she urged people to
help victims with pictures of LA Wildfires.
She wrote, “I [?] you LA. My heart is so heavy. While I’m deeply grate-
ful for our home and my family’s safety, so many of our friends, colleagues,
and fellow Angelenos have lost so much. These fires have displaced countless
families and devastated entire communities, leaving an overwhelming need
he Joyce Foundation, recently announced that Preeti Shankar has for rebuilding and support.”
joined the Joyce Foundation as its Environment Program Officer,
She added, “To the firefighters, first responders, and volunteers risking
Toverseeing grants in the Great Lakes and Drinking Water portfo- everything--you are true heroes.”
lio. Preeti brings more than a decade of experience in urban sustainability, “Over the past week, I’ve come across countless GoFundMe pages and
water issues, environmental justice, and applied research within Chicago’s organizations working tirelessly to provide relief. If you’re able, please consid-
non-profit sector. er donating to those who have lost everything or supporting organizations like
Previously, Preeti was Managing Director of the Urban Analytics team at
the Center for Neighborhood Technology, where she worked to expose and @cafirefound, @baby2baby, @americanredcross and so many more making
a difference on the ground. Every contribution, no matter the size, truly helps.
address environmental inequities and disparities affecting Chicago communi- I’ll keep adding pages as I come across them. Link in my bio for more details,”
ties. Through a data-informed approach that blends qualitative and quantita- she concluded.
tive storytelling, Preeti developed powerful advocacy tools that shed light on The wildfires, which have devastated large portions of the LA area, first
policy failures and supported community-driven solutions. ignited in Pacific Palisades and spread to Malibu and Santa Monica, with the
Her work facilitated strong partnerships with community-based organiza-
tions, city departments, and academic and civic institutions to collaboratively Eaton Fire particularly impacting the Altadena-Pasadena area.
In the aftermath of the destruction, LA County remains under a “particularly
tackle environmental challenges. Preeti also has a background in architecture dangerous situation” red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service.
and urban planning.
While one fire, the Hurst Fire, is nearly contained, a new wildfire, the
Auto Fire, broke out overnight in Ventura, burning more than 50 acres, ac-
She grew up in India, came to the United States for graduate cording to The Hollywood Reporter.
school, and has called Chicago home since 2012. Preeti – who is RAJAN KUMAR
fluent in three languages (English, Hindi and Kannada) – enjoys
playing tennis and sewing. She lives in Chicago’s Lakeview neigh- Professor to Lead Dept of
borhood with her husband and two children. Mechanical Engineering at

Preeti holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Texas A&M Uni-
versity and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Visvesvaraya Technolog- FAMU-FSU
ical University in India.
In 2023, the Joyce Foundation had $1.2 billion in assets and made quali- rofessor Rajan Kumar, Ph.D, has been named the new chair of the Florida
fying charitable distributions of $66.3 million. A&M University-Florida State University (FAMU-FSU) College of En-
Joyce is a nonpartisan, private foundation that invests in evidence-in- Pgineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering. Effective on Friday,
formed public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic December 20, 2024, Kumar takes the helm at the joint college’s largest department.
mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region. Continued on next page... >>

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