Zuhal Bahaduri
Founding Member &
Executive Director
Meet Zuhal
At the young age of 18, Zuhal Bahaduri ran her first campaign for a Fremont City Council candidate. Subsequently, she was elected as the first Afghan-American female California Democrat Party (CDP) Delegate for Assembly District 20. This is where registered Democrats vote for delegates to represent them in the party governance. These elections are open to all registered Democrats in California. When elected, Zuhal served two terms.
Zuhal completed her Bachelors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After running a successful campaign in West LA, for the 2012 CA Democratic Party’s No on 32 and Yes on 30, Zuhal was hired as a volunteer and training coordinator for the CA Democratic Party in Sacramento. In her role she analyzed, developed, implemented statewide trainings for CDP stakeholders, and was responsible for recruiting and training 400-500 volunteers for the annual State Convention. Her expertise has led to a portfolio of local and statewide campaigns field directing and consulting for CA Democrats and small business owners.
She is now a Public Healthcare Analyst, and founded a Mental Health Awareness Brand aimed to normalize talking about mental health through creative avenues. When the crisis hit Afghanistan in 2021, Zuhal could not turn away from supporting her community, leading her to become a founding member of The 5ive Pillars Organization to ensure newcomers would be welcomed with dignity, respect and afforded an opportunity to thrive when resettling.