Niken Astari Carpenter immigrated to the U.S. from Indonesia in 2011 and has dedicated her entire career to public service. Prior to her journey to the U.S. Niken presided over three provinces in Indonesia as a judge for 12 years. Niken is currently the New American Liaison at the City of Erie, Pennsylvania, the 11th community to become Certified Welcoming. Her passion for helping immigrants was born from her own experience as a New American. In her role as New American Liaison, Niken works to ensure that Erie’s immigrant residents have equitable access to resources in the community.

In 2017, Carpenter was appointed to The Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and was named ‘40 Under 40’ in the Erie Reader in 2018. In 2020,  she received the Mercy Center for Women’s “Women Making History 2020” award. Niken was also former president of American Association of University Women (AAUW) Erie Branch.

She is proud to be a Celebrity Judge in  St. Martin Center's  Erie's Best Coffee fundraiser! Dollars raised to support her will directly benefit their programs that provide food, financial assistance, early childhood education, and much more.