Meet Veena Reddy: The First Indian-American Mission Director Of USAID

Veena Reddy: On Monday, July 26, Veena Reddy was appointed as the new mission director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This is historic because with this Reddy became the first American of Indian origin to be elected to this position.

In a tweet on Monday, USAID announced, "Today, Veena Reddy was sworn in as our new Mission Director. She will be the first Indian-American to lead @usaid_india, representing the best of both countries, and aims to bolster #USIndia’s development partnership leveraging her unique experiences and leadership."

Following the news India's Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu also tweeted and congratulated her on this accomplishment, "Best wishes, Veena USAID-India. India-USAID partnership has the potential to make a difference to the lives of people not only in India and US, but across the world!"

Check out the tweet here.

Best wishes, Veena @usaid_india . #India - @USAID partnership has the potential to make a difference to the lives of people not only in 🇮🇳 & 🇺🇸, but across the 🌏! https://t.co/t3KAIeblLo

— Taranjit Singh Sandhu (@SandhuTaranjitS) July 26, 2021

So here's everything you need to know about this illustrious Indian-American making us immensely proud abroad.

1. Veena Reddy is an officer in foreign service with the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
2. Reddy was previously serving as the USAID/Cambodia's Mission Director.
3. She arrived in Cambodia in August 2017 and currently oversees a staff strength of 75 as well as USAID programmes in the environment, education, health, food security, child protection and democracy and governance sectors.
4. As per USAID records, she also served as the deputy mission director in Haiti, where she oversaw hurricane response, post-earthquake reconstruction efforts, economic growth, food security interventions, elections support, and the development of a new strategy.
5. Prior to this posting, Reddy worked in Washington with the portfolio of an assistant general counsel, handling legal matters for USAID's programs in Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Middle East.
6. According to the USAID, she has also served in USAID's missions in the Central Asian Republics, Pakistan, and Central America.
7. Formerly, Reddy has also worked as a corporate attorney at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in London and Los Angeles, and at Rogers & Wells in New York.
8. Academically, Reddy holds a Juris Doctorate (JD) from the School of Law, Columbia University.
9. Additionally, she also has BA and MA degrees from the University of Chicago.
10. Reddy is a member of both, the New York and California bars.