Meet Our People
Manoj Sharma, Co-Chair
Manoj loves to strategize and plan various activities and engagements to help mobilize the South Asian community in political processes. His primary goal within TSB-NC is to increase the representation of Democrats and candidates with progressive policies, focusing on Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts and raising awareness within the South Asian/Desi communities. He also serves as the vice-chair of his local Morrisville 05-08 precinct where he meets with constituents in his town/district and listens to their concerns, and enjoys bringing these issues to various levels of government and party officials. His political platform is centered around ensuring that democracy in America reflects the voices and votes of all citizens, not corporations, and he advocates for getting dark money out of politics, fighting gerrymandering, reforming criminal justice/immigration/healthcare systems, promoting equal rights, making education accessible, combating the climate crisis, and supporting diplomatic foreign policies that uphold human and civil rights globally.
Professionally, Manoj has an extensive background in IT leadership, having held various roles in FinTech/RegTech and HealthIT companies. His journey from Nepal to the Midwest, and eventually to North Carolina in 2006, has shaped his diverse and inclusive worldview and makes him a formidable advocate for progressive change. Outside of his professional and political work, Manoj enjoys spending time with his family, and actively leads various community and sports organizations, reflecting his commitment to service in all aspects of his life.
Aarti Desai, Co-Chair
Aarti has been an active member of the Wake Democratic Party (WCDP) since the first Obama campaign (2007) and has actively been volunteering for various campaigns since then. She was recruited by the national They See Blue (TSB) team during Trumps first election (2016) when members noticed how Aarti was active in fighting disinformation online and asked her to be a part of the new NC chapter. As a core member of TSB, Aarti works with volunteers on voter outreach locally and has recruited friends and family across the country to help with targeted phone banking. Besides TSB, Aarti is a WCDP delegate and has been an officer in her local precinct spending many hours canvassing, text banking and poll greeting. She loves engaging with voters and helping them understand the issues and the importance of voting.
Besides election volunteering, Aarti has been an IT professional for over 3 decades and loves to tinker and use her skills to help others.