SD Nari Shakti Committee

Quietly Making a Difference

SD Nari Shakti Mission Statement

We named our committee SD Nari Shakti because the women we help need all the positive energy (Shakti). We are dedicated to supporting and empowering women experiencing domestic violence, emotional abuse and abandonment. We give them unconditional support to help them get back on their feet, both in their professional and personal lives.

SD Nari Shakti provides:

  • Career goals
  • Health planning
  • Legal aid
  • Financial assistance
  • Counseling resources
  • Emotional support

SD Nari Shakti believes in holistic solutions, healthy relationships, respect, equity, and dignity for all.

Meet the Team

SD Nari Shakti Members

Dr. Sandhya Ramanujam

Dr. Sandhya Ramanujam

President and DV Lead

Sandhya Ramanujam is a Dentist and Behavioral Sciences Trainer who works very closely with people and truly believes that the best way to bring about change is from within. She conducts empowerment and self-improvement workshops. She is also a Certified Life Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Regression Therapist. She owns and runs Bernardo Dental Care in San Diego. She has been appointed to serve on the Domestic Violence Program Advisory Council for the Legislative Assembly.

Krishna Jagannathan

Krishna Jagannathan

Certified Paralegal

Krishna has lived in San Diego for nearly all her life and loves the city. She is a highly experienced certified paralegal. She has also tutored students for over 10 years in many subjects, including Spanish, which she speaks fluently. She enjoys reading, writing, history, music and variety of cuisines. As a part of SD Nari, she provides her extensive experience in writing and the legal field to help women in the Indian community.

Sanya Kerney

Sanya Kerney

Certified Domestic Violence Advocate

Originally from Kashmir, Sanya’s early life was shaped by both the beauty of the region and the harsh realities of living in a conflict zone. Despite the unrest credits her parents for instilling in her the value of education, which set the foundation for her lifelong passion for learning and teaching. She relocated to the U.S. in 1997 and began her journey in early childhood education, working her way up from assistant to director. In 2014, founded Kiddies Korner Preschool & Infant Center, a nurturing, inclusive learning space built on the belief that children deserve more than just academics; they deserve love support, and inspiration. recognized by local and national institutions, including the Power Woman Award from India Global USA. A mother, educator, and award-winning entrepreneur, passionate about empowering women and families, particularly those overcoming adversity. Through her work, she continues to build a community where dreams are nurtured, resilience is celebrated, and every child is given a strong start.

Sapna Narendra

Sapna Narendra

Certified Domestic Violence Advocate

A recent transplant from Texas, calls Poway her home now. As every woman, Sapna wears many hats — mom to teenagers, culinary enthusiasts, passionate about plants and a student forever as she is always open to learning new skills and read varied texts to gain knowledge. She believes in giving back to the community and that’s the reason she is part of SD Nari.

Anuradha Atri

Anuradha Atri

Certified Domestic Violence Advocate

A resident of San Diego for over two decades, Anuradha Atri is a multi-faceted woman- wife, mom, theater enthusiast, community volunteer, and a strong advocate of women and children’s causes. In her spare time, Anuradha Atri can be found outdoors walking, gardening or indoors reading & watching her favorite movies and TV shows with her kids.

Dr Suparna Kudesia

Dr Suparna Kudesia

Committee Member

Dr Kudesia has a Bachelors in Political Science, Masters in Education and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. She is a liberation-guided educator and leader by passion and training. With 15+ years of directing organizations, resourcing movements, stewarding programs & people, and training organizations & leaders, she is excited to share her skills at an expansive level. She brings a trauma-informed and justice-oriented stewardship to her management work. She dreams of what our collective tomorrows would be, if we were all cared for, held, resourced, and free. To continue unlearning and disrupting what harms us. To build new care-centered spaces where we can all be free. To care for ourselves and our communities so we can build new tomorrows, together. When she is not plotting good trouble at her laptop, she enjoys sipping homemade cardamom tea in the sun, saying hello to the plants that tend to her, reading cozy mysteries or speculative fiction, and diving into poetry.

Dr. Saroj Joshi

Dr. Saroj Joshi

Committee Member

Dr Joshi is an adult and child psychiatrist in semi retirement. She had a solo private practice since 1989 in Boston MA and moved to San Diego 3 years ago. She is a very passionate supporter of women’s rights and is very interested in supporting SD Nari in its work

Arpana Rai

Arpana Rai

Committee Member

Arpana recently moved to San Diego from Ann Arbor, MI. She currently volunteers with Crisis Text Line, providing text-based mental health and crisis support. Prior to that, she volunteered with YWCA San Jose, supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. These experiences have strengthened her commitment to empathetic listening, compassionate support, and creating a safe, nonjudgmental space where individuals feel heard and supported during challenging times.