Padma Kuppa facts for kids

Padma Kuppa was born on August 10, 1965. She is an American politician and engineer. From 2019 to 2022, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives. This is part of the state government in Michigan. She represented the 41st House District. This district includes the cities of Troy and Clawson.

Padma Kuppa made history in Michigan. She was the first Asian immigrant and the first Hindu person to serve in the Michigan Legislature. Besides being a politician, she is also a mechanical engineer. She has been a leader in her community. For example, she was the President of the Troy Historical Society. She also helped start the Troy-area Interfaith Group. Padma Kuppa can speak three languages: English, Hindi, and Telugu.

In 2022, Padma Kuppa ran for the Michigan Senate. This was for the new 9th Senate District. However, she did not win that election.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up in India and the U.S.

Padma Kuppa was born in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India, on August 10, 1965. Her family is from the Telugu group. In 1969, her father moved to the United States. He studied at Stony Brook University in New York. Later, he became a researcher there. Her mother also went back to school. She earned a PhD in biology from Stony Brook. She also did research at MIT and Georgetown University.

In 1970, Padma Kuppa and her family moved to Long Island, New York. She started kindergarten there. When she was 15, her family moved back to India. This was different from many immigrant families at that time. Padma Kuppa found this move difficult. She said she felt "American on the inside" even though she was in India. She also mentioned that it was a hard age to change cultures.

College and Return to the U.S.

After returning to India in 1981, Padma Kuppa finished high school. She then went to Regional Engineering College Warangal. This school is now called National Institute of Technology, Warangal. She was the first woman to get a degree in mechanical engineering from that university.

In 1988, Padma Kuppa came back to the United States. She went to graduate school at Stony Brook University. This was the same university her parents attended. In 1998, Padma Kuppa and her husband moved to Troy, Michigan.

Career and Public Service

Community Involvement

Padma Kuppa has been very active in her community. She helped create the Troy-area Interfaith Group. This group brings together people from different religions. She also worked with the Bharatiya Temple's Outreach Committee. She served on the board of WISDOM. This group helps women from different faiths talk and work together in Detroit. In October 2018, she became the board president of the Troy Historical Society. This society manages the Troy Historic Village.

Engineering and City Planning

Padma Kuppa worked as a mechanical engineer for over five years. She was also a project manager at Chrysler. Later, she worked as a business analyst at Ally Financial. She also served the city of Troy. From 2015 to 2018, she was on the City of Troy's Planning Commission. The mayor chose her for this role. Then, from 2017 to 2018, she was elected to the city's Zoning Board of Appeals.

Serving in the Michigan House

In 2018, Padma Kuppa was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. She started her term in 2019. She represented House District 41. This district covers Troy and Clawson. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She won against Doug Tietz in the election. She received 51.3 percent of the votes. During her first term, she was an Assistant Whip for her party. She also served on the Energy Committee and the Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee.

In 2020, Padma Kuppa was re-elected. She won against Andrew Sosnoski. She received 55.04 percent of the votes. In her second term, she served on the Tax Policy Committee and the Rules and Competitiveness Committee. She also continued on the Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee. She was also an alternate member for the Michigan Legislative Council. In 2021, she received an award from Michigan United Cerebral Palsy. This was for her work with people with disabilities and businesses.

In 2022, Padma Kuppa ran for the Michigan Senate. This was for a new district created after the state redrew its political maps. She was not successful in this election.

Personal Life

Padma Kuppa lives in Troy, Michigan. Her husband is Sudhakar Tadepalli. They have two children.

She practices Hinduism and is a member of the Bharatiya Temple of Metropolitan Detroit. As mentioned, she speaks English, Telugu, and Hindi. Hindi is the most spoken minority language in the district she represented.