Former Biden Administration Official Maju Varghese Named Principal at Strategic Consulting Firm NEWCO Strategies
- The Executive Director of the 59th Presidential Inauguration Committee, he was most recently CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy.
Former Biden administration official Maju Varghese has been named principal at NEWCO Strategies, a woman and LGBTQ-led, majority-minority full-service strategic consulting firm. An Obama and Biden administration alumni, he most recently was chief operating officer of the National Endowment for Democracy, the independent, nonprofit, grant-making foundation.
He previously served as deputy assistant to the president and director of the White House Military Office, where he oversaw nearly 3,000 military and civilian personnel who ensured essential services for the daily and worldwide functioning of the presidency. served as the chief operating officer and senior advisor for the Biden campaign, and then as executive director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. He takes over from Barbara Haig, deputy to the NED president for policy and strategy, who has served as interim COO during a time of rapid organizational change.
It was his mother, Saroja Varghese, who first landed alone in this country as a nurse in 1972 after working with the Indian Air Force. Varghese was born in the U.S. to parents who immigrated from Thiruvalla, Kerala. It was his mother, Saroja Varghese, who first landed alone in this country as a nurse in 1972 after working with the Indian Air Force.
As the executive director of the 59th Presidential Inauguration Committee, Varghese successfully directed the inauguration through the coronavirus pandemic and the threat of attacks after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. The events included the swearing-in ceremony and a star-studded “Celebrate America” concert with high-profile celebrities and hosted by actor Tom Hanks.
Before heading the inauguration, he played an important part in the Biden-Harris campaign as its chief operating officer. In that role, he ran the logistics for the nationwide campaign, mobilizing tens of thousands of staff and volunteers. He also served as a senior adviser to the former vice president.
During the Obama-Biden administration, he served as President Obama’s special assistant and the deputy director of advance, a position in which he worked on organizing his travel in the U.S. and abroad., including organizing Obama’s 2015 trip to India for the Republic Day celebrations. He later became assistant to the president for administration and management overseeing the White House complex in the Obama administration. Prior to his time at the White House, Maju practiced law, serving as a litigation associate in a New York City law firm.
Varghese was born in the U.S. to parents who immigrated from Thiruvalla, Kerala. It was his mother, Saroja Varghese, who first landed alone in this country as a nurse in 1972 after working with the Indian Air Force. She was later joined by her husband and elder daughter, Manju.
He is an alumnus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics, and the Maurice A. Dean School of Law at Hofstra University, where he earned his Juris Doctor. He met his wife, Julie, when they were both working for the former presidential candidate Al Gore’s election campaign. The couple lives in Arlington, Virginia, with their son Evan.