Livingston Woman Founded A School, Is Now Honored At AAPI Event

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The Essex County Board of County Commissioners held its inaugural Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Event last Tuesday. Among those recognized was Vineet Khanna, who's not only the Livingston Board of Education vice president, but also founded the Orator Academy for students to learn public speaking.

Khanna, who has hosted a radio show in the past, was the first person of Indian American descent elected to a Livingston office.

This event will be held yearly to honor Asian and Pacific Islander Americans for their
contributions to the community, the county of Essex, and the state of New Jersey.

Longtime Livingston resident and Essex County Commissioner Patricia Sebold honored
Khanna at the ceremony for her "impact in educating our youth, and her exemplary record of
community service," according to the commissioners.

“I was thrilled to present Vineeta as an honoree at the board’s first Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Event," Sebold said. "As an educator myself, I am well aware of
the impact she has on our young people and the Livingston community as a whole. The board recognizes her efforts and looks forward to her future contributions.”

Khanna said she felt a great sense of humility in being the first person of Indian American descent to be elected to public office in Livingston.

Before being elected, she served the town as a member of the Zoning Board, the Open Space Trust Committee, and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

During her time as an educator, she individually conceptualized and executed the very first Livingston Public Schools multicultural event in Harrison Elementary School, and the event has since spread to all the schools in the district.

Additionally, she hosted a very popular radio program for 16 years on WWTR 1170 AM where she engaged listeners on social issues.

Motivated by her passion for public speaking, and for the personality development of her
students, she founded Orator Academy, where she teaches students to communicate with
confidence and conviction.

“As an Indian American, I feel a sense of responsibility to showcase my culture and my
values because they are so similar to any good values anywhere in the world," Khanna
said. “As I sit on the Livingston Board of Education, I am not representing a small community. I represent every Livingston Public student. As a person of ethnic origin, I do have a dream that one day we will look beyond the color of our skin and recognize the spirit that we all bring to our community.”

Besides her education career, Vineeta has also been a student of Indian Classical Music (vocal) since her teenage years. She speaks three languages and has traveled to over 30 countries.

She is the proud mother of her son, Vihan, who is currently pursuing his master's in Media Ventures from Boston University, and daughter Shivangi, who is currently working for a fin tech company in New York City and starts her master's at Harvard Business School in the fall.

Other Honorees

Also honored Tuesday were: Allison Ladd, deputy mayor and Director of Economic and Housing
Development of Newark; Jeannie Kwon of South Orange, vice president for Stations, Capital Delivery at Amtrak; Toral Patel, co-chair of the South Asian American Caucus; and Mengxing Perez, special education teacher at Park Elementary School in Newark.

The Essex County Commissioners Mobile App is now available for download on the Apple and Google Play Stores.

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