Page 32 - The Indian EYE 022621

NORTH AmERIcAN Newsline February 26, 2021 | The Indian Eye 32

neWsmaKeRs of tHe WeeK

KiRan aHuJa cy and commitment to diversity advocacy.

Biden nominates lawyer anJali bHaRdWaJ

to lead Office of personnel us honors

management indian social activist with

anti-corruption award

ndian social activist Anjali Bhardwaj is one of the 12 “coura-
geous” individuals named
Iby US President Joe Biden’s
administration for the newly-in-
stituted International Anti-Cor-
ruption Champions Award.
The US State Department rec-
ognized that Bhardwaj has been
an active member of the Right
to Information Movement in
India for over two decades.
While announcing the
awards on Tuesday, US Secre-
tary of State Antony Blinken
said: “The Biden administra-
tion recognizes that we will be
S President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated Indian Amer- successful in combating these
ican lawyer and activist Kiran Arjandas Ahuja to head the issues only by working in con-
UOffice of Personnel Management (OPM). Ahuja is a for- cert with committed partners,
mer US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyer and also served as including courageous individ-
the Chief of Staff to Director of the OPM from 2015 to 2017. uals who champion anti-cor-
Ahuja would become the first Indian American to serve this ruption efforts and countries
top position if she gets confirmed by the Senate. OPM is a federal working to fulfill their commitments to international anti-cor-
agency that manages the US civil service. ruption standards.” Blinken stated that the reason behind the
Ahuja has more than 20 years of experience in public service announcement of the award is to recognize individuals who re-
and nonprofit sector leadership. Currently, she is the CEO of lentlessly work “to defend transparency, combat corruption, and
Philanthropy Northwest, a regional network of philanthropic in- ensure accountability in their own countries” even while facing
stitutions, which works towards advancing knowledge and action adversities.
in philanthropy. During the Barack Obama administration, Ahuja While responding to the award announcement, Bhardwaj
was the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian tweeted: “This is a recognition of the collective effort of people
Americans and Pacific Islanders. In her role, she carried out efforts and groups across the country who hold power to account.”
to increase access to federal services, resources, and programs Bhardwaj founded the Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS), a citi-
for underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). zens’ group focused on improving transparency and accountabil-
Ahuja started her profession as a civil rights lawyer at the DOJ, ity within the government and fostering the active participation
disputing school desegregation cases, and filed the department’s of citizens. She is also a convener of the National Campaign for
first student racial harassment case. She also was a Founding Ex- Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI). NCPRI advocates for
ecutive Director of an advocacy organization named National an anti-corruption ombudsman and the Whistle Blower Protec-
Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. tion Act, which will provide security to people who expose cor-
In a statement, acting OPM Director Kathleen McGettigan ruption and abuse of power.
said: “Having worked with Kiran before, I can personally attest Ardian Dvorani (Albania), Diana Salazar (Ecuador), Sophia
to her deep appreciation for the critical role this agency plays in Pretrick (Micronesia), Juan Francisco Sandoval Alfaro (Guate-
powering a strong federal government and her commitment to mala), Ibrahima Kalil Gueye (Guinea), Dhuha A Mohammed
empowering the OPM workforce with the tools and support it (Iraq), Bolot Temirov (Kyrgyz Republic), Mustafa Abdullah
needs to deliver on its important work.” Sanalla (Libya), Victor Sotto (The Philippines), Francis Ben Kai-
The American Federation of Government Employees and fala (Sierra Leone), and Ruslan Ryaboshapka (Ukraine) are the
National Treasury Employees Union also appreciated Ahuja’s other awardees.
nomination due to her vast experience in federal personnel poli- Continued on next page... >>

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