The US Senate has confirmed an Indian-American Arun M Kumar to a key administration post that would make him responsible for foreign trade.

“I am pleased that the US Senate has confirmed Arun Kumar as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service at the International Trade Administration (ITA),” Commerce Secretary, Penny Pritzker, said.

“In this role, he will lead the agency’s efforts to assist and dvocate for US companies in international markets. Promoting US trade and investment is crucial to remaining globally competitive, which is a key priority of our ‘Open for Business Agenda’,” the Commerce Secretary said.

The nomination of Mr Kumar, till recently a partner and member of the Board of Directors at KPMG LLP, was confirmed by the Senate by a voice vote.

From 2005 until his retirement in September 2013, Mr Kumar led the firm’s West Coast Finance Management Consulting practice.

He also led the firm’s US-India practice from 2007 to 2013. Mr Kumar joined KPMG in 1995 as a Finance Management Leader.

From 1993 to 1995, he was the founder and CEO of Planning & Logic, Inc, a software company.

Mr Kumar received a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Kerala in India, and an SM in Management from the Sloan School of Management, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.

Source: NDTV

The US Senate today confirmed Indian-American Puneet Talwar to a key diplomatic position in the State Department.

So far a key aide of President Barack Obama on the Middle East, Talwar would now serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs.

After being sworn-in, Talwar would be the second Indian American serving as assistant secretary in the State Department after Nisha Desai, who is the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.

It was in September last year that Obama had nominated Talwar, who played a key role on negotiations with Iran, to this top diplomatic position in the State Department.

Talwar would provide policy direction in the areas of international security, security assistance, military operations, defense strategy and plans, and defense trade.

The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs is the Department of State’s principal link to the Department of Defense.

Since 2009, Talwar has been a Special Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf States on the White House National Security Staff.

Prior to this, Talwar served as a Senior Professional Staff Member on the Committee on Foreign Relations of the US Senate (SFRC) from 2001 to 2009 and from 1997 to 1999, and was the chief advisor on the Middle East to then Senator Joseph R Biden in his capacity as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He served as a member of the Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff from 1999 to 2001.

From 1992 to 1995, he served as a foreign policy advisor to Representative Thomas C. Sawyer, and from 1990 to 1992 as an official with the United Nations.

He received a B.S. From Cornell University and an M.A. from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Source: Business Standard

US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) as a bipartisan organization has always been known for its inimitable activities towards encouraging Indian-Americans to voice their political concerns for more than a decade now. It has achieved a lot for the community by representing and initiating relevant discussions on issues affecting the community leading to appropriate solutions. It has supported many deserving Indian-American electoral candidates in the past and not just Indian Americans, USINPAC has always supported candidates who have an inspirational record and Tulsi Gabbard is one of them. She happens to be the youngest woman in the U.S. to be elected to a state legislature, Hawaii. In 2012, she made headlines as she took the oath of office over a Bhagavad Gita that she claims happens to be her spiritual guide. Exemplary, inspiring, and motivating to a whole generation of Indian-American and multicultural youth, she currently serves as a Military Police Company Commander with the Hawaii Army National Guard.

Looking at Gabbard’s portfolio, it is simply exceptional and versatile. She is the first American-Samoan, the first Hindu member, and one of the first female combat veterans in the American Congress. Going back, in 2002, she first ran for Hawaii’s 42nd House District of the Hawaii House of Representatives. She emerged winner in the general election defeating Republican Alfonso Jimenez. She represented the Oahu 42nd District. During this time, she became the youngest legislator ever elected in the history of Hawaii and the youngest woman elected to state office in the country. During her stint, she spearheaded the resolution of issues including dengue fever, medical waste, and the creation of jobs. In 2004, she moved on to volunteer for National Guard service in Iraq.

In 2012, Tulsi Gabbard decided to bid for the House. USINPAC has supported her right from the start of the campaign. She won the general election on November 6, 2012 by defeating Republican Kawika Crowley and her stance on the empowerment of women is well-known. She has been vocal about the state allowing women to serve in all military roles including combat. She has also served on two deployments to the Middle East. She is pro-affordable healthcare services that would reduce the risk of unwanted teen pregnancies. Another feather-in-the-cap among her many accomplishments is her support towards healthcare and education programs and initiatives for Native Hawaiians. What is truly laudable from Tulsi’s contribution is her work towards relaxing outdated visa restrictions, especially concerning those from India and China.

Her father, Mike Gabbard is a Democratic member of the Hawaii senate and is a practicing Catholic of European-Samoan origin. She believes that her election gives hope to young American Hindus who ‘can be open about their faith, and even run for office, without fear of being discriminated against or attacked because of their religion. Multi-faced Gabbard is also a martial arts instructor.

USINPAC supports Gabbard in the upcoming elections as she represents values, diversity, and synergy associated with the Indian-American community. It has in the recent past supported Dr. Ami Bera, Latha Mangipudi, Kamala Harris, Dr. Swati Dandekar, and several other stalwarts who have influenced the progress of Indian-Americans in public service. It supports candidates for federal, state, and local office who understand the concerns of the Indian-American community and address them on priority. With a robust network of people, ideas, and progress, it encourages participation from individuals from various walks of life. Therefore, come, join, and set a paradigm for your society to follow.

Indian- Americans account for just about 1 percent of the total American population but when it comes to their contribution,  they have pole-vaulted to an excessively prominent position in American medicine, academia, corporate and particularly the high-tech domain.

The reason for this can be attributed to the number of highly qualified Indian-Americans who hail from the most renowned engineering institute in India, Indian Institute of Technology.
The rise of Indian American community in technology driven businesses in the US has played a vital role in the overall growth of the economy. Notably there are 3.2 million Indian Americans in the US out of which 72% graduated with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Researches have unveiled that Indian- Americans start more companies than any other immigrant group. In New Jersey stats were reported to be 57%, followed by 28% in Massachusetts and 26 % in California. In addition to that, New York was accounted to hold 27% along with Florida and Texas each accounting to 17%.
Indian “tech pioneers” such as Vinod Dham, who mastered in manufacturing breakthrough technologies such as the Pentium chip and entrepreneurs like Kanwal Rekhi and Vinod Khosla, who founded Excelan and Sun Microsystems, have created foot prints for others to follow on their tread mill.
Significantly, 9 companies on the fortune 500 list have Indian- American CEOs whereas 66% Indian- Americans are employed in professional/ managerial specialties. Besides that, the most astounding news revealed was that 33% of all Silicon Valley start ups have been founded by Indian- Americans.

Nadella  who recently became the CEO of Microsoft joins a select circle of other Indian leaders of major global corporations, including Indra Nooyi, chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo, Ajay Banga, the chief of MasterCard and Anshu Jain, the co-CEO of Deutsche Bank .
Other Indian CEOs of major U.S. companies include Francisco D’Souza of Cognizant Technology Solutions, Sanjay Mehrotra of SanDisk, Ravichandra Saligram of OfficeMax, Dinesh C. Paliwal of Harman International Industries and Shantanu Narayen of Adobe Systems.

Supporting this stance, Richard Herman, co-author of a book entitled “U.S., Immigrant Inc.,” to Forbes, mentioned that, “It’s not a surprise that we’re seeing Indians rise in corporate ranks. Of all the immigrant groups coming in today, Indians are head-and-shoulders above others, and this is partly because of their English-language skills and also the advanced education that many of them are bringing to the U.S.”

In my opinion, the significance of the contribution of Indian-Americans has played a central aspect of identity in terms of growth of the American economy. In years to come, the demographics would increase radically making both the nations share an unprecedented bonhomie.

WASHINGTON: Indian-American attorney Vince Chhabria, who has represented San Francisco in defence of its health insurance law, adoption rights of same-sex couples and other major cases, has won Senate confirmation for a federal judgeship.

Chhabria, 44, who presently serves as the deputy attorney of San Francisco City, will become California’s first federal judge of South Asian descent and one of only a few South Asian federal judges across the US.

The Senate vote on Wednesday was 58-41, with four Republicans joining Democrats in approving President Barack Obama’s nomination of Chhabria.

A University of California Berkeley Law School graduate, he fills the last of three vacancies on the Bay Area’s 14-member US District Court.

Born to Indian parents, who are Mumbai natives, Chhabria is currently visiting family in India.

“I am thrilled to begin this new chapter of my career in public service, and to set up shop down the hall from my greatest mentor, Judge Charles Breyer,” he said in a press statement.

“While I had high expectations when I started here nine years ago, I never dreamed I would be lucky enough to work on so many exciting cases, for so many dynamic clients, with so many dedicated and high-calibre public lawyers.”

Chhabria also thanked the members of the South Asian legal community saying: “The fact that I have been confirmed while travelling in India with my family makes this an especially proud moment for me.”

He began his legal career by clerking for Judge Charles R. Breyer of the US district court for the Northern District of California from 1998 to 1999.

The South Asian Bar Association of North America and the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California have applauded Chhabria’s historic confirmation to the US district court.

The lone Indian-American member of the US House of Representatives, Ami Bera,the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus chair, Judy Chu, and CAPAC chair emeritus, Mike Honda, also applauded Chhabria’s confirmation.

“Vince Chhabria will make an excellent judge for the US district court. I’m delighted that he was confirmed,” Bera said.

“As the first South Asian to serve on the federal bench in California, he has also made California’s Indian-American and South Asian community proud.”

Source: Times of India