March, 26, 2007: Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today announced the appointment of the new Co- Chairs for the DNC's Indo-American Leadership Council.

Dr. Mahinder Tak of Bethesda, MD, and Shekar Narasimhan, of Dunn Loring, VA, will serve as National Co-Chairs, while Sunita Gupta Leeds, of Washington, DC, will serve as Advisory Board Chair. All three have been appointed by Chairman Dean to lead the Council through the 2008 election cycle.

'Under their leadership, the Indo-American Leadership Council will no doubt continue the great tradition begun by outgoing Chair Ramesh Kapur and have a tremendous impact on helping elect a Democratic President and Democrats up and down the ballot in 2008,' Dean said.

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Dr. Mahinder Tak

Based in Bethesda, MD, Dr. Tak is a retired physician, formerly with the United States Army Reserve, and has been a long-time Democratic supporter.

On the Board of Trustees for the National Museum for Women in the Arts, she is also one of the foremost collectors of Indian art and has lent pieces from her collection to the Freer and Sackler Galleries.

Dr. Tak and her husband are also supporters of microcredit and women's development in India and elsewhere. She brought together prominent members of the Washington area’s South Asian community to meet India’s pioneering leader and Vital Voices 2005 honoree.

Mahinder's collection rivals most any private collection in the world. In fact, March 2006's Art and Antique Magazine voted her one of the top 100 art collectors in America. She has lent out her collection to the Freer and Arthur M. Sackler Galleries and the Asia Foundation, among many places.