About

Harbir Kaur Bhatia

Welcome

My Background | Highlights of Impact | Service Organizations

 

Hi there! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me. I’ll keep it brief while sharing my perspective. I’ve been a proud resident of this wonderful city for many years and have had the privilege of serving as a trusted community organizer for over 20 years in Santa Clara and 25 years across the Bay Area. From my childhood through college and into my career, community service and the drive to improve the lives of others have always been at the heart of everything I do. As I run for office, my goal is to create a better city—not as a politician, but as a civic entrepreneur. The time for “politics as usual” is over!

As of today, I am the CEO of Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce, seeing a thriving economy as a path to a thriving community for all the residents. 

I’m an Indian American Sikh woman who immigrated to the U.S. in the late 70s at the age of 7, settling in the Midwest with my family. Though I wasn’t born here (so I can’t run for President—just a little immigration humor 😉), I’ve always felt a deep commitment to this country and its people.

With a wide range of interests, I’ve built a diverse professional career, starting as an engineer and later expanding into marketing, strategy, production, and community organizing. My educational background includes a Master’s in Engineering from Santa Clara University and a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering. Throughout my education and career, I’ve remained focused on improving communities and people’s lives. Community service has been my guiding force and a constant source of learning.

I’m incredibly proud of my parents, who sacrificed everything to bring my siblings and me to the United States. My father, an electrical engineer, and my mother, a homemaker, were the driving forces that shaped me. I followed in my father’s footsteps by becoming an engineer, while my brother and sister pursued careers in medicine. I’m also a very proud aunt, and hopefully, their favorite one!

Our parents instilled in us the values of equality, equity, and justice. We were encouraged to participate in after-school projects, community service, music, and athletics, always with a focus on service and excellence. The teachings of ‘Sikhi’ (Sikhism) and the South Asian principles of ‘dharam’ (duty) and ‘seva’ (selfless service) deeply influenced my commitment to volunteerism, activism, and the pursuit of equality for all. These values have enriched my life and deepened my respect for others. My hope is always to be a tide that lifts all boats.

A few years ago, I left the tech industry to focus on my passion for community service. I focused on community benefits and innovation. Over this time,

I collaborated with the community to improve developments and introduce new concepts that served residents, small businesses, youth, and seniors—creating win-win solutions for all involved. I’ve also launched a couple of startups, which allowed me to continuously learn,  innovate, and manage operations.  Most recently as I continue to work in Rotary of Santa Clara nd our district, my focus lies in our Chilren, Women, and Seniors locally and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and other parts of the world. 

Before shifting to community-related roles, I held a position in tech services, managing multi-year projects, client relationships, and large contracts. My experience in R&D and product management helped me drive initiatives from start to finish, manage cross-functional teams, and innovate along the way—all while actively volunteering and serving in leadership roles. My passion has always been about innovation, raising awareness, connecting people, and creating value.

During the COVID crisis, I felt a strong responsibility to step up and help our community navigate the challenges we faced. I founded the SC Community Coalition and led several relief projects with the help of dedicated partners. Together, we made a significant impact, thanks to the power of community collaboration.

• The food pantry has been serving almost 1000 households of vulnerable groups, 
• We made and donated over 40,000 masks for the local and national groups, 
• designed and produced around 6000 hand made premium medical grade face shields by employing local workers, 
• over 120 Daily Story Times, friendly checks on seniors, a platform of resources and communications for this crisis and future crisis, and more.

Our coalition and projects were covered in many news outlets during this time.  It was the collaboration of the community, problem solvers, and caring citizens that allowed us to make a significant impact. That is the power of the community! 

In addition,  serve or have served on a variety of boards and organizations. Giving me so much insight and learning

• Sister Cities International National Board Member
• Sister Cities Norther California Board Member
• Ukraine Country Representative for SCI
• Northside Library Fundraising Committee 
• Opening the NorthSide Library 
• Santa Clara Community Coalition, COVID Relief – Founder
• Santa Clara Cultural Commission
• Joint Venture Silicon Valley – Deputy Board Member
• Member of The Women’s Forum
• Past President 2019-2020 and Board Member of the Santa Clara  Library Foundation
• SC Rotary Board Chair for International Projects 2020-21
• SC Rotary Multicultural and Inclusion Task Force 2020-2021
• Rotary Climate Action Committee
• Member of the Advisory Board of Women’s March SJ
• SJ Sikh Temple Community Relations Director
• Until recently was a Board Member of Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce
• Economic Development Committee, SVCCC
• Strategic Planning Committee SC Library Foundation 
• Chair for Task Force for SVCCC 2019
• Speaker at Habitat For Humanity Women’s Build
• Rebuild Silicon Valley  – Veteran Housing Building
• JOY of SEWA Advisor

A Little Background About My Earlier Years

Coming to America and growing up in the late 70s and 80s as brown immigrants, and being even more visually different as Sikhs, my family experienced and has seen our fair share of discrimination, bullying, and prejudice first hand.  At that time, society was full of contradictions in practice and principles of freedom, equality, innovation, and justice. I saw inconsistencies about women’s rights and empowerment, creating conflict in self-worth, and overall apathy. The poor seemed to keep getting poorer, and the rich richer. Of course, this doesn’t sound new even today. The Sikh principles that my family always taught us to see was “all as one” and therefore there should be equality and justice for all, activism against oppression, and community service and respect for life in all forms and the planet that allows us to exist, and is in some way an extension of us and vice versa. Since we are the same, we are tied and a part of each other and affect each other, what affects a part affects the whole.  

These were pillars of strength that we held onto and still do. The Declaration of Independence is something that was a guiding light for our vision of the best of America.  

“We the People”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In Summary

Together, these principles inspired me to strive for excellence and seek betterment for all. I was encouraged to engage in the community, join an uncommon profession at the time for women (electrical engineering), and also pursue my interests in community building, improving multicultural understanding, celebrating culture, and being innovative at the same time, too. Volunteering from a young age allowed me and the family to build community and great relationships, develop new skills, and give back!  Now, I hope to continue this journey of creating communities that provide opportunities, enriching environments, and supportive societies for a thriving and sustainable future.   

I am always on a constant quest to make things better and build community. It should be about the “WE and not just ME”!  — “Sarbat Da Bhalla”— “Betterment for All”