WASHINGTON: Indian-American Maju Varghese Appointed Deputy Assistant To Joe Biden

WASHINGTON: Indian-American Maju Varghese,
who previously served as a key member of the Biden campaign and the inaugural
committee, has been appointed as the deputy assistant to US President Joe Biden
and director of the White House Military Office.

Mr
Varghese, a lawyer by training, had previously served as the chief operating
officer of the Biden campaign during the 2020 presidential election and later
as the executive director of the inaugural committee.

“Maju
Varghese is now deputy assistant to the president and director of the White House
Military Office,” Mr Varghese tweeted the photo of the White House Arrival
Lounge announcing his appointment.

“The
primaries, the general, the inaugural. Grateful for the journey, for great
teammates and the history we made together. Honoured to serve the country and
the President. Proud to walk through those gates again and to take my family,
their story and their hopes with me,” Mr Varghese tweeted along with the photo
on Tuesday.

The White
House Military Office (WHMO) is a department within the White House Office that
provides military support for White House functions, including food service,
presidential transportation, medical support, emergency medical services and
hospitality services.

The WHMO
Director oversees all military operations aboard Air Force One on Presidential
missions worldwide.

Mr
Varghese was one of the four members of the presidential inaugural committee,
which organised the activities surrounding the swearing-in of President Biden
and Vice President Kamala Harris on January 20.

He was
the chief operating officer and senior advisor in the Biden-Harris campaign
from the primaries through the general, overseeing the campaign’s day-to-day
operations and leading it through an unprecedented shift to remote working.

He
previously served in the White House under president Barack Obama in various
roles, including as the assistant to the president for management and
administration and deputy director of advance. He has also worked as the chief
operating officer at The Hub Project and as a senior advisor at the law firm
Dentons.

Mr
Varghese, who is in his early forties, was born in the US to parents who
immigrated from Thiruvalla, Kerala. He has a bachelor’s degree in political
science and economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherts.

As the
assistant to the President for management and administration from July 2015 to
January 2017, Mr Varghese was responsible for day-to-day operations of the White
House complex including oversight of White House budget, personnel, facilities,
tours and major events.

As
special assistant to the President and deputy director of advance from June
2014 to July 2015, he served as the head of the US delegation for pre-advance
visits around the world composed of White House staff, National Security staff,
the White House Military Office and the United States Secret Service.