White House appoints Indian-American Maju Varghese as WHMO Director

Indian-American Maju Varghese, who previously served as a key member of the Biden campaign and the inaugural committee, was on Tuesday formally appointed as Director of the White House Military Office.

As the WHMO Director, Varghese will oversee all military operations aboard Air Force One on Presidential missions worldwide.

Technically, 'Air Force One' is used to designate any US Air Force aircraft carrying the American President. It is one of the most recognisable symbols of the American presidency.

The White House Military Office (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.

Varghese, who is in his early forties, was one of the four members of the presidential inaugural committee, which organised the activities surrounding the swearing-in of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on January 20.

He previously served as the chief operating officer of the Biden campaign during the 2020 presidential election, overseeing the campaign's day-to-day operations and leading it through an unprecedented shift to remote working.

Varghese was born in the US to parents who immigrated from Thiruvalla, Kerala. He has a bachelor's degree in political science and economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

He earlier served in the White House under president Barack Obama in various roles, including as the assistant to the president for management and administration and deputy director of advance. He has also worked as the chief operating officer at The Hub Project and as a senior advisor at the law firm Dentons.

As the assistant to the President for management and administration from July 2015 to January 2017, Varghese was responsible for day-to-day operations of the White House complex including oversight of White House budget, personnel, facilities, tours and major events.

As special assistant to the President and deputy director of advance from June 2014 to July 2015, he served as the head of the US delegation for pre-advance visits around the world composed of White House staff, National Security staff, the White House Military Office and the United States Secret Service.

Varghese is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the Maurice A. Dean School of Law at Hofstra University.

President Biden and Vice President Harris on Tuesday announced the appointments of additional White House staff who will serve in the Office of Administration, White House Counsel’s Office, Office of Legislative Affairs, Office of Management and Administration, White House Military Office, Office of Presidential Correspondence, and Speechwriting.

The new staff bring a breadth of exceptional talent, diverse experience, and steadfast dedication to the White House and will play key roles supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to tackling the crises facing the country and building back better, a media release said on Tuesday.

Faisal Amin has been appointed as Deputy Director of Management and Administration and the Office of Administration; Dan Jacobson as General Counsel for the Office of Administration; Dana Rosenzweig as Deputy Director of Management and Administration for Operations; Alicia O’Brien as Senior Counsel; and Jonathan Black as Special Assistant to the President and Senate Legislative Affairs Liaison.

Elizabeth Jurinka has been appointed as Special Assistant to the President and Senate Legislative Affairs Liaison; Chad Metzler as Special Assistant to the President and Senate Legislative Affairs Liaison; Jim Secreto as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Confirmations; Eva Kemp as Director of Presidential Correspondence; Amber Macdonald as Senior Presidential Speechwriter and Jeff Nussbaum as Senior Presidential Speechwriter.