Mukesh Baral
Executive Director / Co-Founder
Mukesh Baral co-founded Advocacy for Refugee and Immigrant Services for Empowerment (ARISE). He has a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is a trained Mediator with expertise in interpersonal and organizational conflict management. He also has a Master’s in English Literature from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Mukesh was born and raised in a small remote village in eastern Nepal and educated in Kathmandu. He was a News Anchor and a Television Journalist, covering foreign affairs, before immigrating to the U.S.A. As a journalist covering foreign affairs, he has researched, reported, and presented on multiple issues including the Bhutanese refugee issue, one of the burning foreign affairs issues till 2007. He has written and reported on the issue even after their resettlement. Mukesh still writes on political, social, and cross-cultural issues, pertaining to his Nepali- American experience. Fighting against injustices and supporting refugees and immigrants during their transition into their new communities has always defined Mukesh’s passion. ARISE was incorporated as a result of that motivation to advocate for equity and justice for one of the most vulnerable populations. He also has a decade-long child welfare experience. His diverse work, through multiple nonprofits, has prepared him to understand the complexities of the American system.
Purna Neupane
Program Director / Co-Founder
Purna Neupane co-founded Advocacy for Refugee and Immigrants Services for Empowerment (ARISE). He has continuously dedicated his life to serving refugees and immigrants in need since 1990. He was born and brought up in a remote village in Bhutan and embarked on a remarkable resilience journey since he was a college student. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Sherubtse College in Bhutan in 1991. When he was planning to start a career as an educated youth in Thimphu, adversity struck. In 1992 he was forcefully evicted from his birth country along with his family and other One hundred thousand plus Bhutanese citizens by the Druk regime. He was forced out of the country for raising concerns about human rights and forceful eviction of Bhutanese of Nepali ethnicity. Purna became a refugee and resided in a refugee camp for 16 years in Nepal, where he initiated a high school education program for kids without access to education languishing in the refugee camps. In the meantime, he pursued his education and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from North Bengal University in India. His persistence led him to the United States through the refugee resettlement process. He arrived in the U.S. in 2008 and was resettled in Worcester. Purna began his life in the U.S. and started working for the benefit of refugees and Immigrants. He continued his education at Clark University and completed his master’s in 2013. Purna is currently working for the empowerment of refugees and immigrants through ARISE.
Emma Nicodemus
Development Manager
Emma Nicodemus is the Development Manager at ARISE, where she develops resources that allow ARISE to increase their advocacy for immigrants and refugees along with supporting their transition into their new communities. She has a Master’s degree in Community Development and Planning from Clark University along with a Bachelor’s in International Development and Psychology from Clark University. Emma is the child of an immigrant and grew up visiting her family in South Africa and various other countries around the world. She has previous experience in the nonprofit sector at youth-serving organizations, working with young people while studying in Namibia, supporting youth around the world at an international nonprofit, and now working alongside young people in her own Worcester community. Through her international community and experiences, she has developed an appreciation for multicultural perspectives and knowledge along with a passion for supporting immigrant and refugee communities through advocacy and empowerment. She is a staunch believer in the incredible value that immigrants and refugees bring to their new communities and believes that everyone, including immigrants and refugees, deserve a happy and healthy life.
ARISE Inc 