Washington:
US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have named Indian-American Maju Varghese in the 4-member Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC), which will organise the activities surrounding their swearing-in on January 20.
The group incorporates Tony Allen as the Chief Executive Officer, Maju Varghese as the Executive Director, Erin Wilson as the Deputy Executive Director and Yvanna Cancela as its Deputy Executive Director.
“It is an honour to help lead the team that will plan the inaugural activities for President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris while keeping their commitment to protecting the health and safety of Americans and demonstrating the strength and resilience of our nation,” Mr Varghese mentioned in a statement.
Mr Varghese is the fifth Indian-American to be offered important positions by the Biden transition group.
The inauguration ceremony marks the commencement of a new 4-year term for the president of the United States. It is held even if an incumbent president starts a second consecutive term. The big events are the oath of workplace, inaugural address, parade and inaugural ball.
“This historic inauguration will serve as the launching pad for the Biden-Harris Administration to get to work on day one and beat the pandemic, build back our economy better, and unify our country,” he mentioned.
Mr Varghese was the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Advisor in the Biden-Harris campaign from the primaries via the common, overseeing the campaign’s day-to-day operations and top it via an unprecedented shift to remote functioning.
He previously served in the Barack Obama administration in several roles, like as the Assistant to the President for Management and Administration and Deputy Director of Advance. He has also worked as the Chief Operating Officer at The Hub Project and as a Senior Advisor at the law firm Dentons.
A lawyer by coaching, Mr Varghese was born in the US to parents who immigrated from Thiruvalla, Kerala.
As the Assistant to the President for Management and Administration from July 2015 to Jan 2017, Mr Varghese was accountable for day-to-day operations of the White House complicated like oversight of White House spending budget, personnel, facilities, tours and big events.
As Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Advance from June 2014 to July 2015, he served as the head of the US delegation for pre-advance visits about the globe composed of White House employees, National Security employees, the White House Military Office and the United States Secret Service.
Mr Varghese has a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherts.
Varghese is the fifth Indian-American to be offered significant positions by the Biden transition group. In November, surgeon Vivek Murthy was appointed co-chair of the COVID-19 job force.
Indian-Americans Arun Majumdar (Department of Energy) and Kiran Ahuja (Office of Personnel Management) have been appointed heads of important transition committees.
Indian-American Neera Tanden has been nominated as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
CEO of PIC Allen mentioned, “This year’s inauguration will look different amid the pandemic, but we will honor the American inaugural traditions and engage Americans across the country while keeping everybody healthy and safe.” Allen is the President of Delaware State University (DSU).
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