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    Newsmakers of the Week                                             FEBRUARY 27, 2026       |  The Indian Eye 31

            elevate SMU’s presence in the world-                                characterized as unlawful, reported Fox News.
            wide   entrepreneurial  ecosystem.                                      Scott, in his response, emphasized his pride in the work of the agency, re-
                “Megha  exemplifies  the  global                                jecting the premise that he or his officers needed a pardon. “I’m very proud of
            leadership and entrepreneurial mind-                                the service that I provide, and I don’t need a pardon from anybody,” he said,
            set  that  define  the  Spears  Institute,”                         underscoring his view that the agency’s mission is lawful and necessary.
            said Todd Milbourn, Dean and Tolleson                                   The exchange escalated as Thanedar broadened his critique beyond the
            Chair in Business Leadership at the                                 specific shootings. He accused CBP and ICE agents of engaging in misconduct,
            SMU  Cox  School  of  Business.  “Her                               alleging racial profiling, unnecessary aggression in communities, and a lack of
            experience scaling creative ventures                                accountability. “ICE thugs attacking our communities, targeting people for
            and leading at the intersection of busi-                            their accents and the colour of their skin,” he said, articulating a sweeping in-
            ness and culture makes her an extraor-                              dictment of agency practices.
            dinary ambassador for our mission.”
                Tolia will continue in her role as a                                                ROHIT KUMAR SINGH
            co-founding director of the Spears In-
            stitute alongside her husband, Nirav                                   Official named Chair of USISPF
            Tolia, founder and CEO of Nextdoor.
            Megha and Nirav Tolia have played an integral role in shaping the vision of re-  Global Value Chains Committee
            nowned civic and financial leader Dr. William S. Spears. In 2022, a generous gift
            from Dr. Spears to the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist
            University (SMU Cox) made possible the Institute that bears Dr. Spears’ name   ashington, DC: The US-In-
            and connects SMU students, alumni and the North Texas business community    dia Strategic Partnership

            with the tools, mentorship and networks needed to transform ideas into impact.  WForum  (USISPF)  an-
                “The Spears Institute is not just an academic initiative—it’s a community   nounced the appointment of Rohit
            built on possibility,” said Megha Tolia. “In Dallas and across SMU, we’re seeing   Kumar Singh, former Secretary, Gov-
            remarkable momentum in innovation and entrepreneurship. I’m honored to help   ernment of India, as Chair of the USI-
            extend that spirit globally and support the next generation of changemakers.”  SPF Global Value Chains Committee
                The appointment underscores the Spears Institute’s continued growth fol-  and Advisor to the USISPF Board of
            lowing a milestone year that included the inaugural LAUNCH Accelerator,   Directors.
            Hilltop Founders Pitch Competition and the Spears Innovation Awards. Each   In a press statement, it noted that
            initiative reflects the Institute’s commitment to experiential learning, mentor-  Singh, in his role as Chair of the Glob-
            ship and ecosystem-building at the heart of SMU’s entrepreneurial mission.   al Value Chains Committee, will work
                                                                                closely with USISPF’s global membership and government stakeholders to pro-
                                   SHRI THANEDAR                                mote smooth, resilient and diversified supply chains, with a focus on regulatory
                                                                                alignment, infrastructure readiness, and effective public-private collaboration.
                       Congressman confronts                                    itiveness, accelerating manufacturing growth, boosting exports, and supporting
                                                                                    “Strengthening global value chains is critical to enhancing India’s compet-
                   immigration official in DHS                                  sustained GDP expansion by improving efficiency, reducing costs, and integrat-
                                                                                ing India more deeply into global trade networks”, the statement added.
                                                                                    It noted that Singh is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the
                                      hearing                                   1989 batch, Rajasthan cadre, and a distinguished bureaucrat with decades of ex-
                                                                                perience spanning economic governance, consumer markets, infrastructure de-
                     ashington, DC: In a tense                                  velopment, digital governance, public health, and public-private partnerships.
                     and highly charged House                                       As per the statement, Singh served as Secretary, Department of Consumer
            WHomeland Security Com-                                             Affairs, Government of India, where he led India’s first AI-enabled grievance re-
            mittee hearing on Tuesday, Demo-                                    dressal ecosystem, bringing a paradigm shift to consumer protection. Under his
            cratic Representative Shri Thanedar                                 leadership, consumer courts across India were digitized with e-filing, case track-
            of Michigan confronted US Customs                                   ing, and multilingual video conferencing, culminating in a landmark milestone
            and Border Protection Commissioner                                  in 2023, when more consumer cases were disposed than filed.  He also expanded
            Rodney Scott with blistering criticism                              the National Consumer Helpline into a 17-language, omni-channel platform.
            of federal immigration enforcement,                                     Upon his appointment, Rohit Kumar Singh said, “The next generation of
            asserting that Scott and other senior                               global value chains will be digital, data-enabled, and trust-anchored. India’s
            officials should “hope” for a pardon                                investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, and digital public goods create
            from President Donald Trump given                                   an unprecedented opportunity to integrate more deeply into global supply net-
            what Thanedar described as repeated violations of the law by immigration agencies.  works. I look forward to collaborating with USISPF to foster innovation, re-
                Thanedar, a progressive Democrat who immigrated to the United States   silience, and regulatory cooperation that enhance competitiveness and deliver
            from India in the 1980s, pressed Scott and Acting US Immigration and Customs   tangible economic outcomes.”
            Enforcement Director Todd Lyons during a hearing examining oversight of   “Rohit Kumar Singh brings an exceptional depth of policy experience and
            the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies- including   executional leadership to USISPF,” said Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO,
            CBP, ICE, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, reported Fox News.  USISPF. “From pioneering AI-enabled consumer governance reforms to ad-
                At the heart of Thanedar’s critique were allegations of misconduct by fed-  vancing large-scale public-private partnerships and innovative financing for in-
            eral immigration officers in Minnesota, where two people, Renee Good and   frastructure development, his work reflects the kind of institutional leadership
            Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by officers. Thanedar repeatedly challenged Scott   needed to strengthen global value chains and economic resilience. His insights
            and Lyons on their defence of law enforcement actions, accusing them of en-  will be invaluable as USISPF continues to deepen cooperation across trade,
            abling a culture of misconduct and indifference.                    infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks”, the statement said.
                “You better hope you get pardoned because you will be held accountable
            for the absolute disregard of the law your agencies have shown over the past   To read more about Indian diaspora and Global Indians, log on to and follow
            year,” Thanedar declared directly to Scott, raising the specter of presidential       our website www.TheIndianEYE.com
            pardons as a shield against legal consequences for enforcement actions that he

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