Monique Mehta is a

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

and political activist from the United States. In 2007 she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project.

Personal life

Monique Mehta graduated from

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

in 1995 with degrees in sociology and women's studies. In 2006 she graduated with her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from Brooklyn Law School.

Professional career

Mehta served as development director for Safe Horizons, obtaining funding for the organization that works to eliminate

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

and

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

. In 2000 she became the first development director for Sakhi for South Asian Women, where she worked with women from South Asia in New York City. While in law school, Mehta worked as an advocate for Andolan: Organizing Low-Wage Immigrant Workers. She would also serve as a legal intern for Sanctuary for Families,

UNIFEM The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM, french: Fonds de développement des Nations unies pour la femme, ) was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the Internation ...

and the

Immigrant Defense Project Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, an ...

. In January 2005 she became the executive director of the Third Wave Foundation, growing the organization, launching new programming, and expanding programming on reproductive justice. In 2020, she was named a Senior Director at Arabella Advisors.

References

Colgate University alumni 1973 births Living people Brooklyn Law School alumni {{US-activist-stub