Priya Sundareshan is an American attorney and politician who is a member of the

Arizona Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figure ...

from the 18th district. She assumed office on January 9, 2023.

Early life and education

Sundareshan was born to an

Indian American Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from India. The terms Asian Indian and East Indian are used to avoid confusion with Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the United States, who ar ...

family in Tucson, Arizona. She earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(M.I.T.) in 2006. In 2011 Sundareshan earned both a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, as well as

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in natural resource economics also from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

Career

In addition to holding elected office, Sundareshan serves as the Director of Natural Resource Use and Management Clinic at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Previously, she worked as an attorney for the

Environmental Defense Fund Environmental Defense Fund or EDF (formerly known as Environmental Defense) is a United States–based nonprofit environmental advocacy group. The group is known for its work on issues including global warming, ecosystem restoration, oceans, an ...

from 2015 to 2019, and additionally as an associate attorney at the law firm

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, also known as Pillsbury, is a full-service law firm with a particular focus on the energy, financial services, real estate and technology industries. Based in the world's major financial, technology and energy ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from 2012 to 2015. Sundareshan also worked as an analyst for

PA Consulting Group PA Consulting Group (formerly Personnel Administration) is a professional services firm that works with public, private and third-sector organisations. It was founded in 1943 by Ernest E. Butten, Tom H. Kirkham and Dr David Seymour, who used a ...

Cambridge, MA Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 U.S. census was 118, ...

from 2006 to 2008.

2022 Arizona Senate election

Due to the redistricting of Arizona legislative districts resulting from the 2020 census, the 18th legislative district was relocated from the

Phoenix metropolitan area The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, metro Phoenix, or The Valley, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the Southwestern United States, with its largest principal city being the c ...

- where it had been represented by Arizona Senator

Sean Bowie Sean Bowie is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the Arizona State Senate elected to represent District 18 in 2016. Bowie previously worked as a Senior Planning Analyst for the Provost's office at Arizona State University ...

- to the

Tucson metropolitan area Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson metropolitan s ...

, becoming an open seat. Sundareshan faced off against Arizona Legislator

Morgan Abraham Morgan Abraham is an American businessman, army intelligence officer, and politician who served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives in 10th district from 2021 to 2023. Education Abraham earned a Bachelor of Science degree in ...

in the Democratic primary, defeating him 55.6% to 44.4%. Sundareshan defeated Republican former

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

employee Stan Caine in the general election.

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sundareshan, Priya 1980s births 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Arizona State Legislature American politicians of Indian descent Arizona lawyers Democratic Party Arizona state senators James E. Rogers College of Law alumni Living people Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Politicians from Tucson, Arizona University of Arizona alumni University of Arizona faculty