Joe Biden picks US-Indian as policy director

Washington, November 22

US President-elect Joe Biden has appointed Indian-American Mala Adiga as the policy director of his wife Jill. Adiga was a senior adviser to Jill and senior policy adviser for Biden’s poll campaign. She previously worked for Biden Foundation as director for higher education and military families.

Adiga will work for the First Lady who intends to prioritise education and welfare of military families.

Has roots in Karnataka

Mala Adiga belongs to the family of K Suryanarayana Adiga, founder of Karnataka Bank, and Aravind Adiga, who won the Man Booker prize in 2008. Her father Dr Ramesh Adiga (84), a vascular surgeon, had left for the US when he was 25.

Before entering government service, Adiga volunteered and worked for Obama’s presidential campaign for nearly two years. She earned her JD (Juris Doctor) from the University of Chicago Law School and MPH (Master of Public Health) from the University of Minnesota. She graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa with BA in Spanish.

The new announcements came just days after Biden revealed his first round of top White House staff. — PTI