The appointment of Kashmir-origin Sameera Fazili as Deputy Director of the United States National Economic Council (NEC) by President-elect Joe Biden has triggered celebrations among her extended family in Srinagar.
Fazili’s profile successfully made it to the White House Senior Staff landing page on the Biden transition webpage days before the new administration takes over. In the new administration, she has joined more than a dozen Indian Americans shortlisted or assigned to senior-level positions.
Kashmir-born woman, Aisha Shah, was also incorporated into Biden’s team earlier in December 2020 as partnership manager of the White House Digital Strategy team.
“Since the news broke, I am continuously watching the CNN television channel to get her glimpse. I did talk to her mother yesterday. They are elated. But Sami is very busy. This is a great moment for the family. She has been extraordinary. She quit medical school to pursue her passion,” Ms Mehmooda (Ms Fazili’s aunt) told The Hindu.
Sameera Fazili has is experienced as a senior advisor to the NEC and the Treasury Department in the Barack Obama administration, where she was assigned to the Domestic Finance and Foreign Affairs offices. Previous to that she was a clinical professor in law at Yale Law School. She is originally from Buffalo and now resides with her spouse and three kids in Georgia.
The National Economic Council guides the process of economic policymaking and provides the US President with guidance on economic policy.
