Arti Walker-Peddakotla is an elected official, serving as Oak Park Village Trustee since May 2019. Arti works full time Senior Product and Engineering Manager at a non-profit tech company, is a former Microbiologist, and a US Army veteran. Along with her full-time and elected responsibilities, Arti leads a multifaceted advocacy profile that is informed by her experience as military veteran, scientist, technologist, domestic and sexual violence survivor, and first generation Hindu American.

In 2018, Arti founded Oak Park River Forest for Racial Equity, an organization that encourages and supports women of color running for local office who are focused on fighting for racial equity. In the first cohort, six out of the seven women of color that ran for office won their races and were elected to local office. In 2018, Arti served as the Director of Policy for Sameena Mustafa’s campaign for congress in Illinois’s 5th district. Arti is a leader with Veterans for American Ideals (VFAI), a nonpartisan project of Human Rights First, and a Defense Council member of Truman National Security Project, and advocates for refugee, immigrant, and human rights.