Washington: Indian-American Maju Varghese, 43, has been appointed as the deputy assistant to US President Joe Biden and the director of the White House Military Office (WHMO).
The WHMO provides military support for events at the White House.
A lawyer, Maju Varghese had earlier been the chief operating officer of Biden's presidential campaign. He was also a member of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, which organised the swearing-in ceremony of US President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.
The son of Thiruvalla natives Mathew and Saroja, Maju was born in New York. After securing his law degree, he studied political science and economics at the University of Massachusetts.
He was part of the Democratic candidate Al Gore's campaigning team in 2000. He later became a research associate in the Democratic National Committee. During the Presidency of Barack Obama, Maju served in various roles for six years. He worked as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Advance from June 2014 to July 2015; and then as the Assistant to the President for Management and Administration till January 2017.
His wife Julie Varghese, an American, is a policy expert. She was also part of Al Gore's team. The couple have a 14-year-old son Evan.
Maju's parents had moved to New York in the 1970s. His mother Saroja Varghese, a nurse, came to the US first; while her husband and their six-year-old daughter Manju joined her later.
