Monday, March 26, 2012
Indian-Americans in full strength at White House
From The Hindu
While it was unsurprising that Indian-Americans turned out in full strength for the White House's first state dinner in November 2009, for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, their presence at President Barack Obama's dinner for British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday seemed to underscore the continuing importance of this administration's links with the community.
Leading the list was Raj Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. At 39, Dr. Shah is considered one of the youngest Indian-Americans in recent history to be appointed to such a senior position. His wife, Shivam Mallick Shah, who works at the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation, also attended.
A second senior administration official was Arun Majumdar, Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency — Energy, in the U.S. Department of Energy. Professor Majumdar, who received a B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering from the IIT, Bombay and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, was named as Mr. Obama's nominee for the post of Under Secretary of Energy last November.
Another prominent attendee with roots in California was Attorney-General Kamala Harris, accompanied by her sister Maya Harris. Ms. Harris made history in the mid-term elections held in November 2010 when she became the first woman to occupy the top legal position in the state. She traces her maternal antecedents to Chennai.
Amit Pandya of the Open Society Institute was another. Mr. Pandya served, according to sources on the Policy Planning Staff of the U.S. Department of State and was Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia and the Near East at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He accompanied Cecilia Munoz, Assistant to the President and Director, Domestic Policy Council.
Seen as a hat-tip to the Obama campaign's continuing reliance on Indian-American donors, the President also invited Rajiv Kumar Fernando of Chicago to attend. Mr. Kumar, who works in Chopper Trading according to ABC News, bolstered the President's fundraising efforts by a contribution in the range of $200,000-$500,000.
With Indian-Americans marking their presence at such high-profile events as well as garnering numerous top posts within the federal government, it would appear that the administration's very public love affair with the community shows no sign of abating.
While it was unsurprising that Indian-Americans turned out in full strength for the White House's first state dinner in November 2009, for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, their presence at President Barack Obama's dinner for British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday seemed to underscore the continuing importance of this administration's links with the community.
Leading the list was Raj Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. At 39, Dr. Shah is considered one of the youngest Indian-Americans in recent history to be appointed to such a senior position. His wife, Shivam Mallick Shah, who works at the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation, also attended.
A second senior administration official was Arun Majumdar, Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency — Energy, in the U.S. Department of Energy. Professor Majumdar, who received a B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering from the IIT, Bombay and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, was named as Mr. Obama's nominee for the post of Under Secretary of Energy last November.
Another prominent attendee with roots in California was Attorney-General Kamala Harris, accompanied by her sister Maya Harris. Ms. Harris made history in the mid-term elections held in November 2010 when she became the first woman to occupy the top legal position in the state. She traces her maternal antecedents to Chennai.
Amit Pandya of the Open Society Institute was another. Mr. Pandya served, according to sources on the Policy Planning Staff of the U.S. Department of State and was Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia and the Near East at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He accompanied Cecilia Munoz, Assistant to the President and Director, Domestic Policy Council.
Seen as a hat-tip to the Obama campaign's continuing reliance on Indian-American donors, the President also invited Rajiv Kumar Fernando of Chicago to attend. Mr. Kumar, who works in Chopper Trading according to ABC News, bolstered the President's fundraising efforts by a contribution in the range of $200,000-$500,000.
With Indian-Americans marking their presence at such high-profile events as well as garnering numerous top posts within the federal government, it would appear that the administration's very public love affair with the community shows no sign of abating.
Labels: Indian diaspora, Indian-Americans, White House appointments
# posted by Narayan Lakshman @ 5:50 AM 
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