Nisha Desai Biswal
A woman who left a small town in India at age 6 to come to America has become one of the most important leaders in the United States Department of State.
On Nov. 21, Nisha Desai Biswal was sworn into office as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs.
“As Assistant Secretary of South and Central Asia,” said Biswal, “I will devote every ounce of my energy towards making sure that we, the United States, the Department of State, and the Bureau for South and Central Asia do everything possible to bridge from the Asia we see today to the Asia that we know is possible tomorrow.”
Biswal named Atul Keshap as her key aide.
“It’s a great story; it’s the American story, said Secretary of State John Kerry at her swearing-in ceremony, according to a White House press release. “And it’s proof of the power of the American journey. It helps capture how in every generation, immigrants revitalize America and renew us and help to remind us of our common roots and then go on to write the next chapter of American history.”
Biswal served four years in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, Office of Transition Initiatives, and as chief of staff in its Management Bureau. (end)