KATHMANDU: Urgen Sherpa, a Nepali Sherpa immigrant, has been selected by New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to serve on his transition team.

The social activist has been nominated for the "Committee on Small Businesses & MWBEs," a vital team dedicated to strengthening minority and women-owned businesses across New York City.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to have been appointed to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team. I'm thrilled to be serving alongside Chhaya CDC’s Executive Director, Annetta Seecharran, who has championed positive change in our community for nearly three decades,” Sherpa said.

Sherpa, who serves as Small Business Manager at Chhaya CDC, was chosen for his outstanding leadership and dedication to uplifting diverse business communities. Chhaya is a community development corporation that addresses the housing and economic needs of low-income South Asian and Indo-Caribbean New Yorkers.

“I'm also inspired to see so many of our long-time community partners and other experienced individuals, many of whom I've personally looked up to, represented across the committees. Having witnessed their dedication firsthand, I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and work together to help build a bold, inclusive new era for New York City,” he shared.

A former president of the United Sherpa Association (USA), Inc., Sherpa also spearheaded the effort to name a section of 75th Street in Queens, from Broadway to Woodside, as “Tenzing Norgay Sherpa Way.”

The Greater New York Nepali Chamber of Commerce congratulated its chamber advisor, Urgen Sherpa, on his nomination.

Chhaya CDC also congratulated Seecharran and Sherpa, stating, “We are delighted that together they will bring decades of experience organizing and leading initiatives that uplift some of New York’s most vulnerable communities. Their deep community roots and unwavering commitment to equity and dignity for all will help shape Mayor-elect Mamdani’s bold and inclusive vision for our city.”