Two more Indian-American women in Biden administration
Radhika Fox (left) and Meera Joshi (right) nominated for key positions in Biden-Harris administration
On April 14, 2021, Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate 10 members of his administration to key positions in agencies like the Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation, and Department of Energy. They include Meera Joshi and Radhika Fox, both Indian- American women, who have been named as Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the Department of Transportation and Assistant Administrator for Water, Environmental Protection Agency respectively.
Biden also announced his intent to nominate Faisal Amin who is currently serving as Deputy Director of Office of Administration to the post of Chief Financial Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Amin also served during the Obama-Biden Administration as Director of Administration and Associate Counsel for Fiscal Law in the Office of the Vice President, as Chief Financial Officer of the Executive Office of the President, and also as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the Vice President.
Other nominees include Tommy Beaudreauas Deputy Secretary of the Interior, Department of the Interior, Christopher Coesas Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, Department of Transportation, Shannon Estenozas Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior, Michal Freedhoff as Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Protection, Environmental Protection Agency, Jill Hruby as Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy, Winnie Stachelbergas Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget, Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior, and Tanya Trujilloas Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Department of the Interior.
Radhika Fox
Radhika Fox, an alumnus of acclaimed universities like the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia and a popular advocate of water conservation served as the chief executive officer for the US Water Alliance, a non profit organisation which advances policies for building a sustainable water future before joining the administration on January 20, 2021. She is currently working as the acting assistant administrator for water.
With over 20 years of experience in developing programmes, policies and issue based advocacy campaigns; Fox has served as the Federal Policy Director at PolicyLink, a national research and action institute, where she worked on issues like economic inclusion, workforce development and transportation. She has directed government affairs agenda for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
Meera Joshi
Meera Joshi, an attorney with more than 16 years of experience, has served as the Inspector General for New York City’s Department of Corrections, responsible for investigation of corruption and criminality at all levels of New York City’s jail operations and the First Deputy Executive Director of New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board, leading investigations of police misconduct.
She has worked as the chair and CEO of America’s largest for-hire transportation regulator, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.
In her long career she has also served as general manager for the New York Office of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants, and was a visiting scholar at New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy.
She has also headed landmark policies and has even enacted America’s first for-hire driver pay protection programme and also helped provide broad access to for-hire transportation for passengers who use wheelchairs.
