The North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) and the South Asian

The North American South Asian Bar Association (NASABA) and the South Asian Bar Association of Washington D.C. (SABA-DC) honored the South Asian Americans appointed to President Barack Obama`s administration at an event held in
Washington D.C. last week. The Obama White House has tapped more South Asian Americans to serve in the administration than any administration in history.

“The event was a great success, with almost 200 people on hand to help celebrate the appointment of so many South Asian Americans to these esteemed positions,” said Dharmesh Vashee, president of SABA-DC. President Obama appointed South Asian Americans to positions including Federal Chief Technology Officer, Under Secretary and Chief Scientist, Federal Chief Information Officer, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, and many more.

Neal Katyal, Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States, and Preeta Bansal, General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor for the White House Office of
Management and Budget, were both guest speakers at the event.

“Our parents and grandparents dreamed of this kind of success for their children when they made the decision to come to America,” said Katyal. “Each of the appointees to the Obama administration has achieved this level of success
through hard work, dedication and the unyielding support of their friends and family. Truly, this event was in honor of the legions of people who have helped each of us as we`ve pursued careers in public policy.” Katyal`s mother, Pratibha
Katyal Malhotra, accompanied him to the reception, as did the families of many of the honorees.

Bansal, who has been an integral part of the legal appointments made by the President`s transition team, noted the high quality of candidates of South Asian descent that have been appointed to positions within the new administration.

“This really was a national event, with attendees from across the country as well as the greater Washington D.C. area,” said Sonjui Kumar, president of NASABA. “We were happy to have an opportunity to work with the SABA-DC chapter to host this event of celebration and camaraderie among our members, colleagues, friends and family.”