Indian-American appointed deputy assistant to President Biden and WHMO director

PTI, Mar 2, 2021, 2:29 PM IST

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.

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,” 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. Honored 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,” 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.

Varghese was one of the four members of the presidential inaugural committee, which organized 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.

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, 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.