MEET ANITA
Anita Malik | Fellow Constituent and Democratic Candidate for U.S. Congress in AZ-06
Listen first, then lead.
In May 2017, Anita stepped down from her role as Chief Operating Officer of a technology company to run for the 2018 U.S. House of Representatives for Arizona’s 6th district. Having been at the forefront of advances in technology, she recognized the urgent need for real, proactive tech leadership in D.C.
Through her race grew a grassroots movement, people never before involved in politics turned out to create change. Anita won a competitive 3-way primary and went on to swing the district 14 points in the general election.
Now, thanks to the foundation built in 2018, the district is considered flippable, and Anita is ready to build upon the movement for a win.
Anita is a proud, longtime resident of District 6. Growing up, she attended Scottsdale schools (Cochise, Cocopah and Chaparral). Today, she is raising her own family here. She lives in North Phoenix with her husband, their two young sons and their two rescue pups.
ANITA’S EDUCATION
The daughter of immigrants from India, Anita was born in Kansas City, Missouri. When she was 7, her family moved to Arizona. Her father, a mechanical and computer engineer, instilled in her the importance of leading with empathy and listening; her mother, a stay-at-home mom with a passion for the arts, taught her to appreciate the journey.
Anita went on to graduate summa cum laude with degrees in both computer information systems and finance from Arizona State University. She later earned her master’s in journalism from the University of Southern California in 2002.
HER CAREER
Anita started her career in the early days of Arizona tech, working for MicroAge as a business analyst. She went on to work at The Arizona Republic, and was Deputy Director of ASU’s Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism. More recently, Anita was COO of technology company ClearVoice. Over the years, she developed a unique blend of content and technology experience that put her at the forefront of digital media. Anita still works with the executive team at ClearVoice, which was recently acquired by Fiverr and is now a publicly-traded company.
Anita’s entrepreneurial projects have often struck a chord nationally. In 2004, she founded East West Magazine, a national publication celebrating the pan Asian-American life. She was featured on FOLIO’s “40 Under 40” list for her ability to eloquently promote and support a multicultural America. Anita was also a regular guest on NPR’s “Tell Me More.”
ANITA’S PAIN TO PURPOSE
Anita’s motivations in business changed when she lost her father to cancer in 2003. No success in business matters, he reminded her, if you don’t have your health.
After his passing, Anita focused on creating healthy, compassionate and balanced workplaces and fighting for working moms.
Then, a catastrophic event. In month of the 2018 general election, Anita’s husband, James, had a health emergency — brain abscesses, leading him to undergo six separate neurosurgeries and resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. Watch their family’s story here.
Against all odds, James made a full recovery and now the family is putting their pain to purpose to fight for equity in health care and in our overall economy.
Anita knows firsthand that life, work, health, and the economy all go together and to improve conditions we need a representative in Congress who can advocate for our families.
