Maju Varghese appointed to top position by President Joe Biden

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United States President Joe Biden has appointed an Indian-American as his deputy assistant as well as director of the White House Military Office (WHMO).

Maju Varghese, who is a lawyer by training, was previously Chief Operating Officer of the Biden campaign and Executive Director of the Biden Inaugural Committee.

The WHMO is a department within the White House Office that provides military support for White House functions, including food service, presidential transportation, medical support, emergency medical services and hospitality services.

The WHMO Director also oversees all military operations aboard Air Force One on Presidential missions worldwide.

This will be Varghese’s second stint in the White House.

He previously served under former President Barack Obama in various roles, including as the assistant to the president for management and administration and deputy director of advance.

Varghese posted a photo of the announcement by White House Arrival Lounge on March 1, saying, “The primaries, the general, the inaugural. Grateful for the journey, for great teammates and the history we made together. Honored to serve the country and the President. Proud to walk through those gates again and to take my family, their story and their hopes with me.”

Varghese is the son of immigrant parents from Thiruvalla in Kerala. He had shared his parent’s story on Twitter in 2019: His mother was a nurse from India who clocked in long hours at work. His father drove a cab in New York City, and had a second job working as a hospital security guard.

He lost his father seven years ago to Parkinson’s disease.

Varghese has also worked as the Chief Operating Officer at The Hub Project and as a Senior Advisor at the law firm Dentons.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Juris Doctor degree from Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.