Abja Midha is the Executive Director of VOLS and is passionate about partnering with the private bar and community-based organizations to close the access to justice gap for New Yorkers. An experienced litigator, Abja has represented immigrant families seeking English Language Learner and special education services for their children, as well as immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. She was a litigation associate at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler and clerked for the Honorable Charles P. Sifton in United States District Court, Eastern District of New York.
Abja is the Co-Chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Legal Aid and is a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Pro Bono and Legal Services Committee. She is a member of the National Center for Learning Disabilities’ Policy Advisory Committee, an organization that advocates and improves outcomes for individuals with learning and attention issues. Abja serves on the Board of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, a New York City-based organization that advocates for equity and opportunity for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) children and families.
Prior to joining VOLS, Abja was a Vice President at HERE to HERE, leading efforts to integrate work-based learning into curriculum and school design in the Bronx and across New York City. She previously was the Deputy Director at The Education Trust – New York, where she partnered with organizations across New York State to advocate for the elimination of gaps in equity and opportunity that prevent students from succeeding. Abja has served as a Project Director at Advocates for Children of New York, where she led the Immigrant Students’ Rights Project and coordinated a statewide coalition that successfully advocated for changes to New York high school graduation requirements.
Abja graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Brown University and earned her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was the recipient of the Charles G. Albom Prize for appellate advocacy.