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Meet The Indian-Americans Who Have Made It To Donald Trump's Administration

Trump's Indian army.
Andrew Clarance

US President Donald J. Trump has repeatedly said he is keen to work with India. He has also confessed a close connection with the Hindu community. "We did great with the Hindus, thank you," Trump said in a memorable speech, shortly after winning the presidential election.

On several occasions, Trump has stated he would work towards improving his country's relations with India and develop "fair and reciprocal" trading links between the two nations.

Going by the increasing numbers of Indians in the Trump administration, it won't be wrong to say he is, indeed, in the process of establishing an "army of Indo-Americans".

As of 18 September, the Trump administration has at least 9 Indian-Americans, some of whom hold high ranks in the Cabinet.

1. Nikki Haley — US Ambassador To The United Nations

Denis Balibouse / Reuters

I encourage people to find and use the power of their voices just as much when I do not agree with those voices as when I do agree with them.

  • Born on 20 January, 1972, Nimrata Randhawa, known as Nikki Haley is the second Indian American ever elected as a governor.
  • Before her tenure as governor, Haley was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
  • In 2016, Haley was named among "The 100 Most Influential People" by Time magazine.
  • Haley entered politics in 2004. In 2010, she won her first gubernatorial term. At 43, she's the youngest governor in America.

2. Krishna R Urs — US Ambassador To Peru

  • Before being appointed as the US Ambassador to Peru, Urs was Charge d' Affaires of the US Embassy in Madrid, Spain, where he was also the Deputy Chief of Mission.
  • Urs is a 1980 graduate of Georgetown University. He has also earned a Masters Degree at the University of Texas in Economics.
  • Previously, Urs has served as the Director of the Office of Economic Policy and Summit Coordination in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the Department of State. He also served as the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo among his other roles.

3. Manisha Singh — Assistant Secretary Of State For Economic Affairs

  • 45-year-old Manisha Singh was born in India's Uttar Pradesh.
  • Before holding the assistant secretary position for economic affairs, she has served as the deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, and as an aide to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
  • Her educational qualifications include an LLM degree in International Legal Studies from the American University Washington College of Law and a JD from the University of Florida College of Law. She completed her BA from the University of Miami at the age of 19.

4. Neil Chatterjee — Member Of The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

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  • Prior to being appointed as the member of the federal energy regulatory commission, Neil Chatterjee was the energy policy advisor to US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
  • Chatterjee previously worked as a Principal in Government Relations for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and as an aide to House Republican Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce.
  • HIs educational qualifications include a graduate degree in law from St Lawrence University and the University of Cincinnati, College of Law.

5. Raj Shah — Deputy Assistant To The President And Principal Deputy Press Secretary

  • Raj Shah, who will be playing a key role in Trump's communication department, previously worked as the deputy assistant to the president and deputy communications director.
  • Shah's new position makes him the senior-most Indian American in the Trump White House, apart from Nikki Haley, who is at the top as US ambassador to the UN.
  • Shah came to light for co-founding America Rising LLC, where he also developed the Hillary Clinton opposition research book.

6. Vishal Amin — Intellectual Property (IP) Enforcement Coordinator

7. Neomi Rao — Administrator Of The Office Of Information And Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

  • Previously a professor, Rao was appointed at OIRA to review regulations from federal agencies.
  • Founder of Center for the Study of the Administrative State at the George Mason University, Rao's educational qualifications show her keen interest in several areas of law.
  • She has worked as Associate Counsel to President George W Bush; counsel for nominations and constitutional law to the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary and as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of the US Supreme Court.

8. Ajit V Pai — Chairman Of The Federal Communications Commission

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  • Ajit Varadaraj Pai made history for being selected as the first Indian-American to hold the position of the chairman for US Federal Communications Commission.
  • Before FCC, Pai held positions with the Department of Justice, the United States Senate, the FCC's Office of General Counsel, and Verizon Communications.
  • Pai stood against FCC's 2015 Open Internet Order on Net Neutrality.
  • He has a Bachelor's degree in Art from Harvard University and a JD from the University of Chicago.

9. Seema Verma — Administrator Of The Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services

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  • Seema Verma's efforts to dismantle Obamacare has been hailed by Trump, who wanted to implement a new medicare bill as soon as he took over as the president.
  • She has worked as the vice-president for the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County and at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials in Washington, DC.
  • Verma has a bachelor's degree in life sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park and a master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.