NEW YORK (TIP): The Network of Indian Professionals, North America (NetIPNA) hosted their Silver Jubilee Anniversary conference Oct 9-11 at Marriott Marquis hotel here. Among the 600 attendees were keynote speaker Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, former Miss America Nina Davuluri, comedian Hari Kondabolu, Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jimmy Soni, author and former managing editor of The Huffington Post, and NetIP Founder Dr. Satish Chandra.

NetIP’s annual conference brings together South Asian professionals, empowering them to explore their heritage and move beyond their traditional boundaries. The theme for 2015 “Begin Again” aims to inspire individuals to reinvest in the organizations and communities in which they live and work.

For the first time organizations such as AAPI NYC Metro, SABA NYC, SAJA, TiE and SAALT have worked together on such a large platform. These collaborations allowed NetIP to feature panels on Health, Legal Advice, Media, Technology, Unconventional Careers, Non Profit, and Cooking. Special events included the screening of ‘Girl Rising – Woh Padegi Woh Udegi’, a health fair sponsored by AAPI NYC Metro, Comedy Show, Fashion Show by India‘s POPUP and a Shark Tank like Startup Competition hosted by Sava360.

“What a wonderful group of individuals to share my story about diversity, cultural competency, and Girl Rising,” said Davuluri, the emcee of the event.

“As we look ahead into the next 25 years, NetIP will continue its mission to serve as the voice for the South Asian diaspora by developing and engaging a cohesive network of professionals to benefit the community,” said Dhaval Shah, President of NetIP North America.

NetIP has 23 chapters across North America with 60% of members having graduate or professional degrees and over 35% working for Fortune 1000 companies.