Indian-American running for Congress in California

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Shrina Kurani, an engineer by qualification, and an entrepreneur in Riverside, California, is running for the U.S. Congress from District 42. She announced her intent July 22, 2021.

Ken Calvert, a Republican, has been a long time incumbent Congressman from that district first elected in 1992. Ballotpedia notes the Cook Political Report identifies the District as ‘Solid Republican’ as does the Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections. Even in the nonpartisan primaries, Calvert won more than 60 percent of the vote back in 2018.

On her LinkedIn profile, Kurani describes herself as a designer of “technologies to work for people and the planet.”

She adds, “I’m an engineer turned sustainability scientist, scraping the world to build solutions. I thrive leading and working in teams, with international experience in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. and a background ranging from research, engineering consultancy, and systems design to venture capital, social entrepreneurship, and business development. Constantly finding ways to improve and be more inclusive!”

Currently the Vice President Business for the company Republic, Kurani was a board member of New Leaders Council, and has been in the field of sustainable technology for many years.

With a Masters degree in Sustainable Science from Lund University in Sweden, and Bachelors degree from University of California, Riverside, in mechanical engineering, Kurani was born and raised in Riverside.

A first-generation American, Kurani recalls her parents went through hard times when they immigrated to the U.S. Her father, who had a chemistry degree from India ended up working in pool maintenance, and that her brother and she had to share a bed until her parents bought a pool supply store. She credits her entrepreneurial spirit to watching her parents grow the pool supplies business to 14 locations around California.

A product of public schools, Kurani looks to bring long-term solutions in sustainable technology and to use science to inform policy, including at the various start-ups she worked in based in California.

Most recently, she has been involved in building a company “to increase opportunities by focusing on addressing disparities in the funding of startup businesses founded by women and people of color, her website shrinakurani.com says.

She is running for Congress, “to bring her approach to making things work better to Washington to put people first, develop a sustainable future, and build an Inland Empire where people feel safe, healthy, and have opportunities to succeed in fulfilling jobs.”