With over a score of direct Obama appointees in high places, two governors, a House member, a state attorney general and eight state legislators, Indian Americans have over the years gained power and influence far beyond their numbers. And their power keeps growing.
Here are America's desi power players:
1. Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, US Surgeon General
2. Richard Rahul Verma, Ambassador to India
3. Rashad Hussain, Special Envoy and Coordinator for Strategic Counter-Terrorism Communications
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4. Arun Majumdar, US Science Envoy
5. Nisha Desai Biswal, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
6. Puneet Talwar, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
7. Arun Madhavan Kumar, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service
8. Atul Keshap, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
9. Vinai Thummalapally, Executive Director, SelectUSA, International Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce (formerly US ambassador to Belize, first Indian American ambassador in US history)
10. D.J. Patil, deputy chief technology officer for Data Policy and chief data scientist
11. Sri Srinivasan, Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the district of Columbia Circuit
12. Sunil Sabharwal, nominee Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund
13. Preetinder Singh "Preet" Bharara, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
14. Indira Talwani, federal judge, Massachusetts
15. Manish Shah, federal judge, Illinois
16. Anita M. Singh, Chief of Staff and Counsellor National Security Division (NSD) of Justice Department
17. Vanita Gupta, Assistant Attorney General leading US justice department's civil rights division
18. Ajay Banga, Member Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
19. Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri, Chairman National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC)
20. Deven J. Parekh, Member Board of Directors, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
21. Gargee Ghosh - Member, President's Global Development Council
Former officials:
22. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the US States Agency for International Development (USAID) from Jan 7, 2010, to Feb 19, 2015
23. Aneesh Paul Chopra, served as the first Chief Technology Officer of the US
24. Vivek Kundra, first chief information officer of the US
25. Rohit "Ro" Khanna, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary in US Commerce Department
26. Neel Tushar Kashkari, interim Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability from October 2008 to May 2009.
Elected officials
27. Amerish Babulal "Ami" Bera, US Representative for California's 7th congressional district
28. Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, Governor of Louisiana
29. Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley, Governor of South Carolina
30. Kamala Harris, Attorney General, California
