NEW YORK â President Joe Biden has appointed Kiran Ahuja, a civil rights lawyer and an advocate for Asian Americans, to head the Office of Personnel Management.
Ahuja, whose nomination was announced Feb. 23 by the White House, is joining at least 20 other Indian Americans nominated by Biden to senior positions in his administration.
As a member of Biden s transition team, she was in charge of ensuring a smooth move by the agency to the new administration.
OPM oversees the federal government s civil service, coordinating the recruitment of government employees, and manages their health insurance and retirement benefits programs.
In former President Barack Obama s administration Ahuja had served in the OPM as chief of staff.
President Joe Biden has nominated Kiran Ahuja, a former civil rights lawyer and University of Georgia Law School graduate, to lead the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, according to the Washington Post. The office manages the federal governmentâs over two million employees, according to its website.
Ahuja graduated from UGAâs law school in 1998. She worked as a civil rights lawyer at the U.S. Department of Justice after graduation, according to a White House news release. Ahuja was the chief of staff in the personnel agency and the executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders under former President Barack Obamaâs administration.
If confirmed by the Senate, 49-year-old Ahuja would become the first Indian-American to serve this top position in the US government. Ahuja currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Philanthropy Northwest, a regional network of philanthropic institutions.