Sheela Murthy
“After finding the courage to leave everything and everyone I knew, I am propelled as an immigrant to make the most of the opportunities before me.”
Sheela Murthy is a lawyer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and speaker, perhaps best known as founder and president of the Owings Mills, Maryland based Murthy Law Firm, which has been ranked as one of the world’s leading U.S. immigration law firms.
A native of India, Murthy and her husband, photographer and media specialist Vasant Nayak, established the MurthyNAYAK Foundation to channel their philanthropic contributions to nonprofits that serve the needs of women, children, and immigrants, particularly in education and health care.
Sheela Murthy is featured in ZeeTV’s Those Who Made It.
Over the course of her career, Murthy has received numerous awards, recognitions, and honors. Whether for her leadership in the field of U.S. immigration law, her business acumen, community leadership,…
Sheela Murthy is often sought out by media outlets as a topic for articles. She regularly makes public appearances, speaking on U.S. immigration law, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and on motivational topics…
Generous with her time and her talents, Sheela Murthy has given much to organizations that serve communities locally, nationally, and globally. She has a seat on numerous boards and councils, which are critical to the operation of these organizations. As a part of these active, governing bodies she shares in the responsibility for overseeing activities and voting on affairs. Board memberships are not intended to be permanent positions, but typically last for two-to-five years, depending upon the organization.
Following the events of 9/11, Sheela Murthy and Vasant Nayak responded by establishing the MurthyNAYAK Foundation, a family foundation created to support nonprofit organizations that serve women, children, and immigrants in the United States, especially around Baltimore, MD. They also support NGOs that serve women and children in India, particularly around Bangalore. Thus they work to give back to their adopted country and their native homeland.
An international, nonprofit health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University, Jhpiego has worked to prevent the needless deaths of women and their families for 40 years and in more than 155 countries.
For nearly 30 years, Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) has been helping patients succeed in their fights against cancer, by using advanced technology and personalized treatment plans.
ITServe Alliance is an association of IT services organizations that serves as the voice of IT companies with similar interests across the United States. ITServe is a resourceful and respected platform for exploring collaborative, initiative measures for protecting common interests and ensuring collective success.
The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. TiE’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, education, incubating, and funding. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing our next generation of entrepreneurs. Murthy serves with the D.C. Chapter of TiE.
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) was founded more than a century ago, on the principle that access to art and ideas is integral to a vibrant and healthy city. This is at the core of the BMA and what they do. The Board of Trustees offers leadership in support of the core mission of the institution, and commitment to ensuring its strength.
The Maryland Institute, College of Art (MICA) is among the top art colleges in the country. Founded in 1826, it is the oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design in the country. MICA has a deep commitment to the community of Baltimore.
www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
The Girl Scouts of Central Maryland are 2.6 million strong, with 1.8 million girls and 800,000 adults who all believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to change the world.
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce supports the state’s businesses and its competitiveness, nationally and globally, in economic growth and private sector job creation.
ASHA for Women is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support to South Asian women living in abusive relationships. Since 1989, ASHA has worked to circumvent language, cultural, and social barriers that prevent many women in the community from seeking help. ASHA has rescued hundreds of women and children, and helped them to move on to lead safer, happier lives.
To end homelessness in Maryland: this is the mission of HPRP. They provide free legal services – advice, counsel, education, representation and advocacy – for low-income people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homelessness.
United Way believes every one of us has a stake in what befalls our fellow man. They improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities to advance the common good.
United Way of Central Maryland is committed to helping families who face poverty to obtain housing, employment, affordable food and healthcare, and quality education.
The Dean’s Advisory Council visits the campus of Harvard Law School, examining, questioning, discussing, and then guiding the Dean on the future of the Law School’s academics.
The third largest independent university in Maryland, Stevenson University has more than 4,100 students pursuing degrees at the bachelors and masters levels, as well as adult undergraduate studies.
South Asian Americans Leading Together, or SAALT, is a national civil rights and racial justice organization combating violence motivated by hatred and bigotry is central to SAALT’s mission.
250 million children worldwide cannot read or write. Two-fifths of them live in India. Pratham has been steadily combating the crisis of illiteracy among India’s children for 21 years.
AILA is the national professional organization of immigration lawyers, which was established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of immigration lawyers.
