The Obama government has nominated yet another Indian-American, Nisha Desai Biswal, to a senior position within its administration. Ms. Biswal was nominated to the post of Assistant Administrator for Asia in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), according to a statement by the White House.
Ms. Biswal is currently the Majority Clerk for the State Department and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on the Committee on Appropriations in the U.S. House of Representatives, and in this capacity she played a key role with jurisdiction over the State Department, USAID and other aspects of the international affairs budget.
Announcing his intent to nominate Ms. Biswal and other officials to various positions, United States President Barack Obama said, “I am grateful that these impressive individuals have agreed to join my administration. I am confident they will serve ably in their new roles, and look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”
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If her appointment is confirmed, Ms. Biswal will join the large and growing club of Indian-American Obama appointees, which already includes Rajiv Shah, Administrator, USAID, Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief Information Officer, Aneesh Chopra, First Chief Technology Officer, Farah Pandith, Special Representative to Muslim communities, Richard Verma, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the State Department, Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York, and actor Kal Penn, until last month, the White House associate director of the Office of Public Liaison.
With a depth of experience in Congress, Ms. Biswal had previously served on the professional staff of the House International Relations Committee where she was responsible for South and Central Asia policy as well as oversight of the State Department and USAID. She has also worked in the Office of the U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and with the American Red Cross — both in their Washington headquarters and overseas, as an international delegate in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Ms. Biswal holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia.
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