Who Is Nisha Desai Biswal? Indian-Origin Woman Nominated As Deputy CEO Of US Finance Agency

Indian-American Nisha Desai Biswal has been nominated to the top administrative position in the US International Department Finance Commission by President Joe Biden on Monday, according to the White House.

Biswal, who worked as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia during former President Barak Obama’s administration, holds over 30 years of experience in US foreign policy and international development programmes within the executive branch, congress, and the private sector.

Who is Nisha Desai Biswal?

• Currently, Nisha Desai Biswal is serving as Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the US Chamber of Commerce. She supervises the US-India Business Council and the US-Bangladesh Business Council.
• While serving as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs from 2013 to 2017 at the US Department of State, Biswal managed the US–India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented cooperation, including the launch of the annual US–India strategic and commercial dialogue.
• During her tenure as assistant secretary, Biswal also initiated the C5-1 dialogue with central Asia and the US-Bangladesh partnership dialogue.
• Before that, Biswal was assistant administrator for Asia at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), where she directed and oversaw USAID programmes and operations across south, central, and south-east Asia.
• She also served as staff director on the state and foreign operations subcommittee on appropriations and professional staff on the foreign affairs committees in the House of Representatives for over a decade at Captain Hill.
• Nisha Desai Biswal also serves as the chair of the advisory committee on voluntary foreign aid and is on both the board of the National Democratic Institute and the US Institute of Peace's International Advisory Council.
• Biswal is a member of the United States Institute of Peace's Afghanistan Study Group and the Aspen Institute’s India-US Track 2 Dialogue on Climate and Energy.
• Biswal graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in international relations and economics. The 54-year-old Gujarati immigrated to the US with her parents. Biswal resides in Washington, DC, with her spouse and two daughters.

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