Indian American Gautam Raghavan has been elevated to a key position of the head of the White House office of presidential personnel by the Joe Biden administration.
Raghavan's promotion to the key White House post came after United Nations secretary general António Guterres announced his intent to appoint Cathy Russell, the current head of WH PPO, as the next executive director of Unicef, reported news agency PTI.
“I am also pleased that Gautam Raghavan, who has worked in tandem with Cathy from Day One, will become PPO’s new director -- a seamless transition that will enable us to continue building a federal workforce that is efficient, effective, dependable and diverse,” Joe Biden said in a statement.
Who is Gautam Raghavan?
A first-generation immigrant, Gautam Raghavan was born in India and has been raised in Seattle. He graduated from Stanford University in the United States.
Raghavan is also the editor of ‘West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House', a book that offers a personal look at the presidency and the president’s staff.
Gautam Raghavan served as former US president Barack Obama's liaison to the LGBTQ community as well as the Asian American and Pacific Islander community from 2011-2014.
He also worked for the department of defense, the 2008 Obama Campaign, and the Democratic National Committee.
{{/usCountry}}He also worked for the department of defense, the 2008 Obama Campaign, and the Democratic National Committee.
{{/usCountry}}Gautam Raghavan has served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House office of presidential personnel since January 20, 2020.
He was also the first employee hired by the Biden-Harris Transition Team where he served as deputy head of presidential appointments.
He lives with his husband and their daughter in Washington, DC.
(With agency inputs)