Nirupama "Nima" Kulkarni is a Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing District 40 in Jefferson County, Louisville, since January 2019. She is an immigration attorney and the first Indian-American elected to the Kentucky state legislature. Kulkarni immigrated from India to Louisville at age six with her family, who owned a grocery store; her parents instilled values of hard work and community service—her father directed globalization efforts for Metro Louisville, and her mother founded the Beaded Treasures Project for disadvantaged women. She lives in District 40's St. Joseph’s neighborhood with her partner, Raegan Maddox. Notable achievements include founding the Indus Law Firm specializing in immigration and employment law, recognized in Business First's 40 Under 40 ; establishing the New Americans Initiative nonprofit for immigrant education; blocking anti-immigrant bills; securing bipartisan judicial equity legislation; serving on the Public Assistance Reform Taskforce ; joining the U.S.-Japan Council’s Asian American Leadership Delegation ; named a NewDEAL Leader; and contributing to police reform post-Breonna Taylor via the Mayor’s Civilian Review Board Working Group . She serves on committees including Judiciary, Economic Development, Agriculture, and Banking & Insurance, and caucuses like House Democratic Women’s, Kentucky Nonprofit, and Louisville Metropolitan.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Graduated from Atherton High School ; B.A. in English and M.B.A. from University of Louisville; J.D. from David A. Clarke School of Law, University of the District of Columbia. Interned at Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Government Accountability Project during law school.
• Political Experience: Elected in 2018 after defeating incumbent Dennis Horlander in the Democratic primary; campaigned on minimum wage increases, economic growth, immigration reform, education, and universal healthcare. Sponsors bills on wages, healthcare, police reform, education, and protections for domestic/sexual assault victims. Member of Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisville Bar Associations; American Immigration Lawyers Association. Community roles include boards for Community Foundation of Louisville, Louisville Public Media, Kentucky Science Center, Fund for the Arts, and Indian Professional Council of Kentucky. Awards: JFCS MOSAIC, KNA Nonprofit Champion, LBA Danny M. Alvarez, APAICS Spotlight.