Staff

National Office (Washington, DC):

Jasjit Singh
Executive Director

Jasjit is the Executive Director of SALDEF and has been with the organization since 2009.

He has provided numerous presentations on racial profiling, employment discrimination and community challenges to various audiences including the US Assistant Attorney General, FBI Director, TSA Administrator and EEOC Chairman.  He currently serves on DHS Secretary Napolitano’s Faith-Based Initiative and has published op-eds and appeared in/on several media outlets including New York Times, Politico, Washington Post, Huffington post, National Public Radio, and CBS Radio.

Jasjit is an active member of his community; serving as a camp counselor and instructor at Sikh Youth Camps for the last 10 years.  He was the founder and president of the Sikh Student Association (SSA) at the University of Illinois.  Jasjit has addressed several college and university audiences about Sikh practices, theology, and  challenges facing the Sikh American community in a post 9/11 context.

Prior to joining SALDEF, Jasjit worked at the consulting and accounting firm Deloitte & Touche for 5 years. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Amrita Singh
Legal and Legislative Affairs Associate

In her role as SALDEF’s Legal and Legislative Affairs Associate, Amrita’s responsibilities focus on assisting community members whose civil rights have been infringed, as well as advocating for legislation related to issues of religious discrimination, racial profiling, school bullying and other issues salient to the  to the Sikh-American community.

Prior to joining SALDEF, Amrita was a Post-Graduate Public Interest Fellow at the Anti-Defamation League where she worked on matters related to religious discrimination and school bullying. She also previously worked with the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri and served with AmeriCorps. During law school Amrita worked at the State Attorney’s Office in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, completed a judicial  externship with the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida, and was a summer associate at the law firm of Kubicki Draper in Miami, FL. Amrita has also volunteered with Legal Aid, a service of Broward County in South Florida.

Amrita graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis and attended law school at the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. Amrita is a member of the Florida Bar.

Southern California:

Birpal Kaur
Community Relations Associate

Birpal is responsible for community outreach, volunteer development, media relations, and coalition building.

Prior to joining SALDEF, Birpal was a Judicial Fellow for the State of California’s Judicial Council and served as an AmeriCorps Member for two consecutive years working in youth mentorship and community mediation.  During her time with the State of California she worked on policy and legal projects at the Second District Court of Appeal, including access to justice issues, and habeas corpus cases.  Birpal has also been part of the Jakara Movement, a California based Sikh Youth grassroots organization; she has served on its Advisory Board of Directors, as well as maintained the position of Regional Director for Southern California over the last five years.  Additionally, she served as President of the Sikh Student Association at the University of California, Riverside.  Birpal graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a Masters of Arts Degree in Political Science.