Gautam Raghavan
{{Short description|Indian-American political advisor}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Gautam Raghavan (cropped).jpg
| office = Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office
| president = Joe Biden
| term_start = January 31, 2022
| term_end = January 20, 2025
| predecessor = Catherine Russell
| successor = Sergio Gor
| birth_date =
| birth_place = India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| education = Stanford University (BA)
George Washington University
}}
Gautam Raghavan is a political advisor who was the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-22/biden-makes-more-senior-hires-including-deputy-chief-of-staff|title=Biden Makes More Senior Hires, Including Deputy Chief of Staff|access-date=2020-12-22|language=en}} Raghavan previously served as the associate director of the Office of Public Liaison in the Obama administration.
Early life and education
Raghavan was born in India and raised in Seattle, Washington, attending middle school and high school in Kent, Washington{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 2004, where he was a member of the Stanford Harmonics. He attended the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University from 2004 until 2006.
Career
Raghavan was the associate director of the Office of Public Liaison under President Obama, acting as a liaison to both the LGBT and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities from 2011 to 2017.
He has also worked for the Progressive Majority, the 2008 Obama campaign, the Democratic National Committee, the Gill Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Defense as the outreach lead for its "Don't Ask, Don’t Tell" Working Group.
Outside of government, Raghavan has worked as a consultant for progressive organizations including the Biden Foundation{{Cite news|url=https://bidenfoundation.org/news/news-releases/biden-foundation-brings-two-obama-white-house-experts/|title=The Biden Foundation Brings on Two Obama White House Experts - Biden FoundationBiden Foundation - A new stage of public service|date=2017-04-05|work=Biden Foundation|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-US|archive-date=2018-07-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708015647/https://bidenfoundation.org/news/news-releases/biden-foundation-brings-two-obama-white-house-experts/|url-status=dead}} and the Indian American Impact Project & Fund, an initiative that supports Indian Americans in politics which he founded in 2016.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} Raghavan was the editor of West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House, which includes personal accounts by eighteen Obama Administration staffers.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
From December 2018 to July 2020, Raghavan was the chief of staff for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.{{Cite web|date=2018-12-03|title=Jayapal Announces Gautam Raghavan As Chief of Staff|url=https://jayapal.house.gov/2018/12/03/jayapal-announces-gautam-raghavan-chief-staff/|access-date=2020-12-22|website=Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal|language=en-US}} In June 2020, Biden selected Raghavan to serve on his presidential transition team.{{Cite web|last=Reporter|first=India-West Staff|title=Biden Names Indian American Gautam Raghavan to Transition Team|url=https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/biden-names-indian-american-gautam-raghavan-to-transition-team/article_d2c4cf80-b4c7-11ea-9f62-37bf24ed8ee2.html|access-date=2020-12-22|website=India West|language=en|archive-date=2020-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826131834/https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/biden-names-indian-american-gautam-raghavan-to-transition-team/article_d2c4cf80-b4c7-11ea-9f62-37bf24ed8ee2.html|url-status=dead}}
Personal life
Raghavan is openly gay. He lives with his husband Andy, and their daughter in Washington D.C.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
References
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Category:American politicians of Indian descent
Category:Biden administration personnel
Category:American gay politicians
Category:Indian emigrants to the United States
Category:American LGBTQ people of Asian descent
Category:Indian LGBTQ politicians
Category:American LGBTQ rights activists
Category:LGBTQ appointed officials in the United States
Category:Obama administration personnel