President Biden Nominates 3 Indian Americans to Lead Climate and Transportation Agencies

President Biden has announced the nominations of three Indian Americans in his administration to lead on climate and transportation matters across key agencies, including the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Transportation. Nominations announced on April 14 include Meera Joshi for Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Department of Transportation; Faisal Amin for Chief Financial Officer, Environmental Protection Agency; and Radhika Fox for Assistant Administrator for Water, Environmental Protection Agency. 

Earlier in January, Joshi, an attorney with over 16 years of experience leading government oversight agencies, was appointed deputy administrator and senior official of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. She was chair and CEO of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, the nation’s largest for-hire transportation regulator where she spearheaded novel Vision Zero campaigns using data tools to keep high risk drivers and unsafe vehicles off the road. She also led landmark policy, including establishing robust open transportation data standards for app based providers; enacting the nation’s first for-hire driver pay protection program and providing broad access to for-hire transportation for passengers who use wheelchairs. 

Prior to transportation regulation, Joshi was the inspector general for New York City’s Department of Corrections, responsible for investigation of corruption and criminality at all levels of New York City’s jail operations and the first deputy executive director of New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board, leading investigations of police misconduct. In addition to her government positions, Joshi served as general manager for the New York Office of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants, and was a visiting scholar at New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy.  Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she holds a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Amin currently serves as deputy director of the Office of Administration in the Executive Office of the President. Most recently, he worked on the Executive Office of the President Management and Administration Agency Review Team, as well as the Vetting Operations team, on the Biden-Harris Transition. During the Obama-Biden Administration, he served in several roles, including as Chief Financial Officer of the Executive Office of the President, where he led the team responsible for managing all aspects of finance and procurement for EOP components. 

Amin has spent the majority of his career as an appropriations attorney at the United States Government Accountability Office, researching and drafting appropriations law decisions, providing technical assistance to agencies and Congress, and teaching appropriations law classes.  While on detail from GAO to the Senate Interior Appropriations subcommittee, he helped develop and advocate for EPA’s fiscal year 2020 appropriation. Originally from California, Amin earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and his law degree at the University of Arizona.  He lives in Maryland with his wife and two sons.

See Also

Geeta Rao Gupta Becomes First Woman of Color to Take Charge as Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues

Fox, currently the acting assistant administer for Water, was appointed in January by Biden to the position of Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water at the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA’s Office of Water works to ensure that drinking water is safe, wastewater is safely returned to the environment, and surface waters are properly managed and protected. Prior to joining EPA, Fox served as chief executive officer for the U.S. Water Alliance, where she established herself as a widely recognized national thought leader on complex water issues, from equitable water management to investing in our nation’s water infrastructure. Her work has helped address the most salient water issues facing the nation — including climate change, affordability, equity, governance, innovative finance, and the evolution of the One Water movement. 

She previously directed the policy and government affairs agenda for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which is responsible for providing 24/7 water, wastewater, and municipal power services to 2.6 million Bay Area residents. She also served as the Federal Policy director at PolicyLink, where she coordinated the organization’s policy agenda on a wide range of issues, including infrastructure investment, transportation, sustainable communities, economic inclusion, and workforce development.Fox holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley where she was a HUD Community Development Fellow.