Indian American Kerala Cultural and Civic Center has honored seven Indian Americans who made notable contributions in their professions and to the society at its 33rd Annual Awards Dinner in Elmont, New York on Oct. 25.
This year’s honorees and their categories of recognition were: Inspector Shibu Madhu – Govt. and Public Service; Diya Mathews – Legal Service; Priscilla Samuel – Nursing; Jayan Varghese – Pravasi Malayalam Literature; Koshy O. Thomas – Community Service; Nandini Menon – Education; and Joharath Kutty – Engineering. The keynote speaker was Dr. Suresh U. Kumar.
The award for excellence in community service went to Koshy O. Thomas. He currently serves as Special Assistant and Community Liaison to New York State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein and also serves as the Chairman of the India Day Parade Committee in Queens.
The award for excellence in Nursing leadership went to Priscilla Samuel. She is a nationally recognized leader in advanced practice nursing, currently serving as Vice President of Advanced Practice Nursing at the Mount Sinai Health System. With a career spanning clinical practice, academic leadership, and health system innovation, Dr. Samuel remains committed to advancing the role of nurse practitioners and shaping the future of healthcare delivery.
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The award for notable contribution to Pravasi Malayalam Literature went to Jayan Varghese. He is the author of ten books published in various genres of literature, like poetry and drama.
The award for excellence in legal service went to Diya Mathews. She is a trailblazing attorney, business leader, and community advocate whose career bridges law, entrepreneurship, and service. As Partner in Charge of Chugh LLP’s New York and New Jersey offices, she leads a thriving practice focused on business immigration law and corporate compliance.
She is widely recognized for her expertise in the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). As she is admitted to practice law in both New York and India, she brings a truly global perspective to her work. She is the incoming President of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) – New Jersey Chapter.
The award for excellence in engineering went to Joharath Kutty. Kutty is a Senior Director of System Engineering at New York Power Authority (NYPA) with over 20 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Her career spans power generation & high voltage transmission, substation design, grid modernization, power system operation & control, transmission operations planning.
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She has been involved in every aspect of transmission expansion projects. In her current role, she provides overall leadership and technical direction as Chief Engineer for the Long Island transmission expansion project (Propel NY Energy).
The award for excellence in education went to Dr. Nandini Ambat Menon. She is the Founder and Chief Education Officer of Cedar Hill Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey. She also contributes to the broader education and entrepreneurial community through her service on the Board of the NJ Academy of Sciences, the Indian American Women Entrepreneur Association, and as Co-Chair of TiE NJ Next Gen and a committee member of TiE Global Nxt Gen.
The awardee for excellence in Govt. and public service, Inspector Shibu Madhu, could not attend the ceremony due to family emergency.
The ceremony was attended by leaders of several community organizations including Pioneer Club, Sarga Vedi, INANY, GOPIO, FOMAA, and FOKANA. A souvenir was also released to mark the occasion.
Indian classical dances performed by Chandrika Kurup’s Noopura School of Dance made the awards night a colorful one.