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    Newsmakers of the Week                                                    MAY 15, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 33

                                      RAJ BIYANI                                                        SOUTH ASIANS

                     Goshen College names its                                     Leaders Gather in Washington to

             inaugural Chief Innovation Officer                                              Assert Political Voice

                   oshen, IN: Goshen College has appointed Raj Biyani, a 1992 alum-      ashington, D.C.:  More  than  300  South  Asian  American  leaders,
                   nus and former Microsoft executive, as its first chief innovation officer,   elected officials, students, artists and advocates gathered in Wash-
            Gmarking a new step in the institution’s approach to artificial intelli- Wington last week for the annual Summit, Gala and South Asian Hill
            gence and leadership in higher education.                           Day organised by Indian American Impact.
                                                                                    Held under the theme “We Belong,” the event marked the organisation’s
            Biyani brings more than three decades of experience in technol-     10th anniversary and came at a time of growing political polarisation, rising
                                                                                anti-immigrant  rhetoric  and  renewed  debate  over  the  place  of  immigrant
            ogy and AI to the role, returning to the Indiana-based liberal arts  communities in American public life.
                                                                                    Over two days, participants engaged in policy discussions, advocacy meet-
            college where he began his academic journey. His appointment        ings and community-building exercises aimed at strengthening South Asian
            signals the college’s intent to shape what it describes as respon-  American political engagement and civic participation.
            sible AI leadership within an academic setting.                         One of the central events was South Asian Hill Day, where advocates
                                                                                joined representatives from 21 partner organisations serving the South Asian
                                                                                diaspora to meet more than 70 House and Senate offices. Discussions focused
                The  announcement  follows  Biyani’s  visit  during  Homecoming  2025,
            where he received the college’s Culture for Service Award. Since then, he has   on immigrant rights, voting rights and combating hate violence.
                                                                                    Organisers said the meetings were intended to reinforce the message that
            contributed his time to support the institution’s efforts to adapt to the growing   South Asian Americans “belong at every decision-making table.”
            influence of artificial intelligence, underscoring both his ongoing ties to his   The summit opened with a conversation featuring former US Surgeon
            alma mater and his view that the evolving landscape requires new approaches   General Vivek Murthy, who spoke about community care, loneliness and the
            to leadership, education and service.                               importance of solidarity during difficult political moments.
                Since September 2025, he has delivered guest lectures in more than 25
                                                                                    Participants also attended policy sessions on issues including artificial in-
            classes, engaged more than 100 regional business leaders, and designed and   telligence, immigrant rights and next-generation political leadership. Action
            taught a 12-part AI seminar customized for Goshen faculty and staff. He has   Labs included phonebanking efforts targeting South Asian voters in Virginia
            also been the catalyst behind Goshen College’s AI Innovators Program, which   ahead of a key referendum election, as well as workshops on media advocacy
            has already generated 45 funded innovation projects from faculty and staff   and opinion writing.
            across 14 academic departments and 10 administrative offices — a signal of   The gathering concluded with the annual gala honouring leaders from the
            the creative energy being unleashed across campus.                  South Asian American community. Honourees included Nikil Saval and Neera
                “At Goshen College, we are not limiting ourselves by just asking what AI
            can do, but rather what we should do with it and why. I am excited to con-  Tanden, while former Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta addressed
                                                                                attendees  on  the  broader  political  climate  facing  immigrant  communities.
            tribute to this mission because those are questions worth dedicating the next   Other featured speakers included Ghazala Hashmi and US Representatives
            chapter of my life to.” — Raj Biyani, chief innovation officer      Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Suhas Subramanyam and Raja Krishnamoorthi.
                The appointment is both strategic and personal. Goshen College is mak-
                                                                                    The event took place against the backdrop of renewed political attacks
            ing a deliberate bet: that the future of AI in higher education is focused on   targeting immigrant communities. Organisers noted that shortly after the ad-
            cultivating our human wisdom to use these new tools at our disposal.  vocacy meetings on Capitol Hill, President Donald Trump amplified rhetoric
                After graduating from Goshen College in 1992, Biyani earned an MBA
            with honors from the University of Chicago and later completed the Advanced   on social media targeting Indian Americans.
            Management Program at Harvard Business School. At Microsoft, he served
            as the managing director of Microsoft IT’s India operations and drove a trans-  To read more about Indian diaspora and Global Indians, log on to and follow
            formation so significant it became a case study at Harvard Business School,           our website www.TheIndianEYE.com
            the Indian Institute of Management and Singapore Management University.

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