Srinivasan, currently vice-president and Editor-in-Chief at Yahoo! was herself a Presidential Scholar in 1989, a prestigious honour that is awarded to over a 100 high school students each year for outstanding achievements ranging from academia, arts and leadership.

In naming Srinivasan and 11 others to the Commission, Obama said: "The Commission on Presidential Scholars is charged with recognizing the future leaders of our country and honouring them for their outstanding achievements.

"I am grateful that these impressive men and women have agreed to serve on this commission and help a new generation realize their potential and pursue their dreams."

The eleven will join the National Teacher of the Year, Anthony Mullen, as members on the Commission, the White announcement said.Since joining the company as its fifth employee in 1995, Srinivasan has led a range of editorial and policy functions, beginning with the organization and evolution of the Yahoo! Directory, it noted.
She has overseen network editorial standards and original content development, guided the company's corporate responsibility arm, and directed policy issues including privacy and data use, advertising standards, youth safety, community guidelines, and accessibility.

Prior to joining Yahoo!, Srinivasan was involved with the Cyc Project, a ten-year artificial intelligence effort to build an immense database of human commonsense knowledge.

She chairs the Board of Trustees for SFJAZZ, a non-profit organization dedicated to jazz creation, presentation, and education. She is also a member of the 2000 class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute.She holds a BS with distinction from Stanford University in Symbolic Systems, and was honoured as a Presidential Scholar in 1989.