Upendra Chivukula is the first Asian-Indian American elected to NJ State Assembly and the fourth in the nation to be elected to state office. He is currently serving his fourth term in the NJ General Assembly where he is Deputy Speaker. He represents the 17th district which includes Franklin Twp. (Somerset County), Highland Park, Milltown, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, and Piscataway (Middlesex County).
Upendra Chivukula is a longtime resident of Franklin Township. He has been married to Dayci Chivukula for over 30 years. Together they have two children, a son, Suraj and daughter, Damianty.
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
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Chair, Telecommunications and Utilities Committee
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Member, Commerce and Economic Development Committee
STATE COMMITTEES, COMMISSIONS, BOARDS
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Member, NJ Commission on Science and Technology
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Member, Asian American Study Foundation
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Member, CSG/Eastern States Regional Conference on Energy and Environment
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Member, New Jersey International Education Task Force
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Founding Member & Co-Chair, NJ Science & Technology Legislative Caucus
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Founding Member & Co-Chair, NJ World Languages & International Studies Legislative Caucus
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Member, NCSL’s Executive Committee
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Vice Chair, National Conference of State Legislature’s (NCSL) General Officers
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Past Chairman, NCSL’s Communications, Technology and Interstate Commerce Committee
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Member, NCSL’s Task Force on Homeland Security
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Member, NCSL’s Executive Committee Task Force on Immigration and the States
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Past Member, NCSL’s Connecting America Foundation for State Legislatures (FSL) Partners Project
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Past Member, NCSL’s Energy and Electric Utilities Committee
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Past Member, NCSL’s Agricultural, Environment and Energy Committee
PUBLIC SERVICE
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Former, Franklin Township 5th Ward Councilman, former Franklin Township Mayor
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Member of various Franklin Township boards and Franklin Township Community Foundation
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Board Member, Somerset County Affordable Housing Board of Trustees
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Served on the Somerset County Cultural and Historic and Middlesex County Cultural and Historic Commissions
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Governor Florio appointed him to be a Public Member, New Jersey State Board of Social Work Examiners, a regulatory body
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Member of Delegation to Democratic National Convention in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008
CIVIC ACTIVITIES
· Leadership New Jersey Fellow (1998)
· Fannie Mae Fellow (2007)
· Flemming Institute Fellow (2003)
· Past President of Franklin Township Lions Club and Zone 2 Chairman in District 16-D
· National Committee Member of the Association of Indians in America
· Past Secretary of NJ Chapter of Indian American Forum for Political Education
· Past President of Asian American Political Coalition
PROFESSIONAL
· Chairman of WTC, Inc.
· Senior Member, Technical Staff for Bell Laboratories (retired)
EDUCATION
· Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. from Guindy’s Engineering College, India
· Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from City College of the City University of New York
· Certificate for Senior Managers in State and Local Government from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
· Graduate, University of Virginia, Emerging Leaders Program
