Indian American named to key White House position

July 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Indian American actor-turned White House associate director of public engagement, Kalpen Modi, has said that he spent the first day in political office getting started on some "serious" work. Under sharp questioning about his routine, comedian Modi revealed: "I brushed my teeth, I did floss, used mouthwash.

July 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama's American Indian adviser on public engagement and comedian, Kal 'Penn' Modi, has said that he has no plans for taking on a full time career in politics any time soon. The New York Daily News quoted Penn, who is the associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, a gig he landed after working his way up through Obama's campaign operation, as saying: "I have no plans to run for office anytime soon", before rushing off to his first big White House meeting.

June 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has been criticized for embracing the policies of the former Bush administration, by denying public access to White House visitor logs. The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has filed a complaint against the Obama administration in this regard.

June 15th, 2009 Obama appoints American Indian adviserWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will have an American Indian adviser in the White House to counsel him on tribal issues, a new post he promised while campaigning on Indian reservations last year. Obama on Monday appointed Kimberly Teehee as a senior policy adviser for Native American affairs, saying she will provide "a direct interface at the highest level" of his administration and will ensure a voice for American Indians as policy decisions are made.

June 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack has named Vinai Thummalapally, an Indian-American businessman and a former college friend who raised over $100,000 for his campaign, as ambassador to the central American nation of Belize. Colorado-based Thummalapally was among the "Top Indian-American Bundlers" - people who gather contributions from many individuals, who are not allowed to contribute more than $2300 for each election, and present the sum to the campaign - during the presdential poll.

April 30th, 2009 Official: White House communications chief namedWASHINGTON — A senior adviser on Barack Obama's campaign has been named the president's interim communications director, a White House official said Thursday. Anita Dunn, a veteran Democratic media consultant, is to take over duties from Ellen Moran, according to the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the position had not been announced.

April 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Indian American actor Kal Penn has insisted that his move to the White House isn't the end of his acting career. He said that he is just taking a break to concentrate on public service.

April 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Kal Penn, Indian American star of Mira Nair's 'The Namesake' and a long time supporter of President Barack Obama, is joining the White House as a liaison between the administration and Asian constituents. Born Kalpen Suresh Modi to Indian immigrant parents from Gujarat, the 31-year-old actor who had a recurring role on Fox's popular TV show 'House' would join the White House staff as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison, CNN reported.

April 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - New Jersey-born actor Kal Penn, who played a stoner Guantanamo Bay escapee in the movies and a doctor on TV's "House," has been appointed an associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison, administration officials confirmed Tuesday. The Indian-American film star will be an emissary to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, along with arts and entertainment groups.

March 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The National Journal has in a non-partisan analysis found that 30 of the 267 senior Obama administration officials have served as lobbyists in the preceding five years. According to the Washington Times, Obama once promised that if he was elected president "lobbyists won't find a job in my White House." Government watchdogs questioned this promise when William Lynn was brought on to serve as the Deputy Secretary of Defense, a former lobbyist for Raytheon.

March 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's Indian American chief information officer Vivek Kundra, who was on leave because of an FBI investigation, has been reinstated. White House officials confirmed to The New York Times that Kundra was reinstated on Tuesday.

March 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama's Indian American White House chief information officer, Vivek Kundra, has gone on leave until the FBI completes its investigation into the Washington city office he once headed. Kundra went on leave after federal agents arrested an Indian-American businessman and a Washington DC government official on corruption charges on Thursday and searched the offices of the capital city's chief technology officer as part of a corruption probe.

March 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - After just a week on the job, President Barack Obama's Indian-American info czar Vivek Kundra is said to have gone on leave amid an FBI probe that resulted in a search of his former office. Kundra went on leave after federal agents arrested an Indian-American businessman and a Washington DC government official on corruption charges Thursday and searched the offices of the capital city's chief technology officer as part of a corruption probe.

March 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama Thursday named Vivek Kundra, a 34-year-old Indian American, as the federal chief information officer (CIO) at the White House to advance the administration's technology agenda. 'Vivek Kundra will bring a depth of experience in the technology arena and a commitment to lowering the cost of government operations to this position,' Obama said.

January 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An Indian-American body has suggested that Pepsico 's India-born chairperson Indra Nooyi be considered for the commerce secretary's post following the withdrawal of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson due to a federal probe. 'In this currently tough economic climate, her global vision, leadership and ideas would be exactly what President Obama would need for a position that he has called the 'leading economic diplomat for America'', the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC)said suggesting her name to the president-elect's transition team.