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President Joe Biden named Indian-American Gautam Raghavan to a new post at the White House Office of Presidential Personnel on Friday. After UN Secretary-General António Guterres revealed his intention to choose Cathy Russell as the next executive director of UNICEF, Biden announced Raghavan’s promotion to the critical White House role. Russell now serves as the CEO of WH PPO.
“Working relentlessly to ensure that our federal government reflects America and delivers for the American people,” Biden said of Cathy’s leadership at the White House Office of Presidential Personnel (PPO), which has shattered records in both recruiting speed and diversity.
“I am also delighted that Gautam Raghavan, who has worked alongside Cathy from Day One, will take over as PPO’s new director — a seamless transfer that will allow us to continue growing an efficient, productive, dependable, and diverse federal workforce,” Biden said in a statement.
Raghavan was born in India, raised in Seattle, and received his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. He is the editor of the book “West Wingers: Stories from the Obama White House’s Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators.”
Since January 20, 2020, Gautam Raghavan has been the White House Office of Presidential Personnel’s deputy assistant to the President and deputy director. He formerly worked as the deputy head of Presidential Appointments for the Biden-Harris Transition Team.
According to the White House, “Raghavan served as chief of staff to US Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and advised organisations dedicated to advancing civil rights and social justice, serving as an advisor to the Biden Foundation and vice president of Policy for the Gill Foundation.”
Raghavan served in the White House Office of Public Engagement as a liaison to the LGBTQ community as well as the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, as acting White House liaison for the US Department of Defense, and as Outreach Lead for the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Working Group during the Obama-Biden administration, according to the statement.
