Sunday, May 18, 2014

New BADC Executive Committee Members Elected



On May 8, 2014, Rashida Majumder, coordinator of Bangladeshi American 
Democratic Coalition (BADC) Election Commission, announced to the 
community that the following nominated candidates have been elected 
uncontested:

Nasreen Rahim – President
Farkhanda Jabeen (Tina) – Vice President
Tahsina Haq - General Secretary
Nilufar Haque - Director of Outreach 
Mahbub Alam – Treasurer
The following letter went out to BADC members from the newly-elect 
President of BADC:

18 May 2014 
Dear BADC Members,
On-behalf of BADC Executive Committee, I would like to thank you for electing us to the following positions, uncontested: 
Nasreen Rahim – President
Farkhanda Jabeen (Tina) – Vice President
Mahbub Alam – Treasurer
Tahsina Haq - Gen. Secretary
Nilufar Haque - Dir. Of Outreach
Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the four talented BADC Election Commissioners: Rashida Majumder, Badrul Hasan, Sohel Imtiaz, and Abu Hena Kamal.  It is their commitment that made the BADC election process so smooth.
According to the Election Commissioners, the effective date of the start of the new BADC Executive Committee is May 18, 2014. The Transition BADC Executive Committee has been dissolved.
As the official BADC Executive Committee, we pledge to do our best to promote the interest of Bangladeshi-Americans. Let us work together toward achieving our common goals.
Sincerely,
Nasreen Rahim
President, BADC
Bio-sketches of BADC’s elected executive committee members, 2014, 
are as follows:



Nasreen Rahim, President - Nasreen Rahim is a professor and Staff Development Chair at Evergreen Valley College (EVC), San Jose, California. She is the recipient of the most distinguished faculty of the year 2012 award at EVC. Currently, Professor Rahim is completing her doctorate in Leadership in International Education. She is an Executive member of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) 6157. As Interim Vice-President of BADC, she has already created a strong network with leading politicians of the Santa Clara County and the California Democratic Party. As the current President of BADC, her goal will be to nurture the next generation of leaders from among Bangladeshi-American women and young adults.




Farkhanda Jabeen (Tina), Vice President Tina Jabeen is a Director in a private equity firm in San Francisco. She works with a number of non-profit organizations – Agami, to name only one – that are focused on education and women’s health for marginalized people in the slums and rural areas of Bangladesh. She is also active with Sneha, a non-profit organization based in Canada, that works primarily on education and rehabilitation of families for garments workers in Bangladesh. She is passionate about Bangla language and culture and actively supports initiatives to promote them. Tina has been involved with BADC since 2012. As the Vice President of BADC, she would like to connect issues of the local Bangladeshi community to the local political arena. Tina graduated from Haas School of Business in 1995 and has been living in the Bay area since 1989 with her husband Md. Salahuddin and mother Najma Khatun. 



Tahsina Haq, General Secretary - Tahsina Haq is a quality control technician at Reed and Graham Inc. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from San Jose State University. Tahsina’s political involvement began from high school when she worked as an election officer for three years. She went on to champion minimum wage workers by working on Measure D and getting it passed through a joint effort with other activists. She played a critical role in establishing BADC as a club with the Santa Clara County Democratic Party. She has interned with the Labor Council in its Summer Justice program in which she got training in community outreach, strategic research, political strategy and networking. She is passionate about working with people of all ages and backgrounds in building an informed and progressive community from which the next generation of Bangladeshi-American politicians can rise to local, state and national prominence.





Nilufar Haque, Director of Outreach - Nilufar Haque is a CPA and Director of Taxation at the Palo Alto office of Frank Rimerman & Co., a national accounting firm. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dhaka University, Bangladesh, and an MBA from Santa Clara University. She also holds a Master’s degree in Taxation. She is a passionate supporter of several non-profit organizations and has served for a number of years on the Board of the Santa Clara Chapter of the National MS Society. She was an early advocate of BADC and has been involved with the organization from its inception.





Mahbub Alam, Treasurer - Mahbub Alam is an experienced accountant and a licensed tax practitioner in California. He has a Bachelor's degree in Commerce and a Master's degree in accounting from Dhaka University, Bangladesh. He is also a Nationally Certified Bookkeeper by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. He has also served as a voluntary treasurer for other non-profit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a key member of BADC, he is excited about the contributions the organization can make in enhancing the political presence and influence of Bangladeshi-Americans.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

BADC Membership Form Being Sent by EMail

At the BADC event on January 26, 2014, many attendees selected to
become BADC members by checking a box in the attendee form.

BADC will soon be sending a membership form to these attendees by email.

Kindly fill in the membership form and return it to the originator at your earliest
convenience. 
We urge you to join BADC to:
  • further the best interests of Bangladeshi-Americans
  • promote US-Bangladesh relationship 
  • develop next generation leadership within our community
  • work with similar groups on issues of common interest
  • educate US legislatures on Bangladeshi issues
  • promote democratic values and institutions within Bangladesh
  • facilitate trade and businesses between Bangladesh and the U.S.
  • establish cultural, educational & scientific exchanges between the two countries
  • influence legislation on global warming & its mitigation in Bangladesh
This is about us, our future and the future of our children in America.All of us at BADC genuinely appreciate your timely cooperation.


Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Meeting between BADC and Election Commission Members

BADC and Election Commission members met on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at the residence of Yusuf and Nilufar Haque at Woodside, CA. The gracious hosts served a sumptuous brunch that certainly helped ease the tasks of the members.


BADC and Election Commission members met at Yusuf and Nilufar Haque's residence at
Woodside, CA, on 2 March, 2014, to discuss the forthcoming BADC election.




Here is a summary of events in BADC's meeting with the Election Commission:

1) Presentation of Election By-Laws for the newly-minted Election Commission.
  • Election Commission is responsible for holding election for BADC Executive Committee members.
2) Introduction of Election Commission members.
  • Rashida Majumder (Coordinator)
  • Sohel Imtiaz
  • Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal
  • Ahmed Badrul Hasan
3) Presentation of Election Commission’s requirement
  • Receive BADC Member list by 3/3/14
4) The Election Commission revised the milestones and some election procedures.
  • 03/09/14: Finalize election forms and procedures
  • 03/16/14: Send nomination notification to all members. Make personal calls to all members to run for BADC offices.
  • 5 offices identified: President, Vice President, Treasurer, General Secretary, Director of Outreach.
  • 04/06/14:  Last day of receiving nomination paper for officers.
  • 04/27/14:  Finalize nomination.
  • 05/17/14:  Election. Venue not finalized yet.
  • 06/01/14:  Last day of Interim Executive Committee handover to officially elected members.
  • 06/08/14:  Election Commission dissolved.
5) Other issues discussed: 
  • Website development status - Currently Alimul Hoque, Tahsina Huq and Tina Jabeen are responsible for its design, construction and maintenance.
  • A membership form will be prepared to allow user mail the completed form along with $10 membership fee.
  • Absentee ballots will be designed to allow voting in absentia. No proxy voting is allowed. Voting by E-mail is being considered.
  • Election Commission waived the 10 person petition or endorsement requirement to run for an EC office.
  • Election Commission recommended archival of BADC's historical records in website
  • A formal BADC membership roster in spreadsheet will be prepared from the January 26th event attendee list.


Sunday, February 23, 2014

BADC Milestones

A Partial List of BADC Events and Accomplishments
  • With the completion of the tasks entrusted to BADC's executive committee (EC), EC and Core members meet in San Jose on February 23, 2014, to finalize steps for holding elections for BADC officers on April 26, 2014. Details to follow.

  • The accreditation of BADC as a democratic club by SCCDP is celebrated
    at Chandni on January 26, 2014.
    Steve Preminger, Chairman of Santa Clara County Democratic Party
    (SCCDP),
    welcomes the accreditation of BADC to SCCDP.
  • Steve Preminger, Chairman of SCCDP, welcomes BADC to SCCDP. The meeting is also addressed by, among others, Molla Huq, President of BADC, Dave Cortese, Supervisor Santa Clara County District 3, Cindy Chavez, Supervisor Santa Clara County District 2, Ash Kalra, San Jose City Council Member, District 2, Paul Fong, State Assemblymember, Tahsina Haq, General Secretary of BADC, and Nasreen Rahim, VP of BADC. Yusuf Haque articulates the steps necessary to move BADC forward.

    Assembly member Paul Fong presents California Legislature Assembly
    Certificate of Recognition to Nasreen Rahim, BADC's Interim VP,
    on January 26, 2014, to mark the accreditation of BADC.
  • On November 7, 2013, BADC is formally registered as a Democratic Club with the Santa Clara County Democratic Party (SCCDP).
Youth representative Samiha Azim addresses
BADC's inaugural meeting.
  • Inaugural meeting of California's Bangladeshi-American Democratic Coalition (BADC) is held on October 21, 2012, at the Chandni Restaurant in Newark, CA.

    In his keynote address, Dr. Yusuf Haque positions BADC as a "Political Platform for Bangladeshi Americans." 
    There are over 300 eager and excited participants, mostly of Bangladeshi heritage, but representatives of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT #6157) and other organizations also attend to show their support for BADC.