Isha Weerasinghe is the director of public benefits justice, with a focus on mental health equity. In her role as director, Isha manages the team’s local, state, and federal policy and advocacy efforts to uphold, improve, and reimagine several federal benefits that provide a safety net for many people in the United States. Additionally, she advocates for more healing and community-centered approaches to mental health programs and policy, focusing on mental health system changes to support communities of color and other communities on the margins.

Prior to her time at CLASP, Isha was the director of policy and advocacy at the Association for Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, where she advocated for better access to linguistically concordant and culturally responsive care for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA&NHPIs). She led/participated in city and national coalition building and provided policy guidance on the local and national levels, for AA&NHPI-serving community health centers and organizations, in health access and equity. Isha conducted community-based participatory research and supported health reform efforts at New York University’s Center for the Study of Asian American Health, working within New York City and New York state. She started her policy career on improving the lives of people living with hepatitis B.

Isha has a B.A. in biology from Bryn Mawr College, and a M.Sc. in health policy and demography from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is the Board Chair of Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso and the Board Chair of 9to5: National Association of Working Women.