US President Donald J Trump nominated American-Indian, Sue Ghosh Stricklett, to head Asian operations as Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
If appointed, Stricklett will primarily be responsible for administering development assistance and civil foreign aid as head of the Asia Bureau of USAID. The US Agency, which focuses on promoting democracy and gender equality in countries across the developing world, has an annual budget of $27.2 billion.
Who is Stricklett?
Daughter of Indian immigrants, Stricklett is a sixth-generation lawyer with over twenty-five years of experience in national security law and foreign affairs. The scope of her practice includes Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance, intellectual property licensing and technology transfer, US dual-use and defence trade control licencing, and sanctions law enforcement, as per the White House.
In the past, Stricklett has served as an Asia policy advisor to three Presidential campaigns and several major Indo-American advocacy organisations, according to the White House. A long-time Republican, Stricklett worked on Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2012.
Hailing from Queens, New York, Sue Ghosh Stricklett is a graduate of the University of New York, Buffalo. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America.
She is an active member of the Indian-American community, and has worked as the general counsel of the American-Hindu Coalition, a non-partisan organisation that aims to “build a stronger America through Hindu enlightenment principles”.
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