Meera Joshi (left) and Radhika Fox joined the administration on the first day of the Biden presidency
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his intent to nominate a top attorney and an executive, both Indian-American women, to key administration positions.
The nominations are being seen as a promotion for Meera Joshi and Radhika Fox who joined the administration on the very first day of the Biden presidency on January 20.
Ms Joshi has been nominated for Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the Department of Transportation while Ms Fox was nominated for Assistant Administrator for Water, Environmental Protection Agency, the White House said in a statement.
Ms Joshi was appointed as the Deputy Administrator and senior official of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on January 20, 2021. The same day, Biden appointed Fox to the position of Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Biden also announced his intent to nominate Faisal Amin for Chief Financial Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Amin currently serves as Deputy Director of Office of Administration in the Executive Office of the President.
The three nominations were part of Biden's announcement of his intent to nominate 12 members of his administration to lead on climate and transportation matters across key agencies, including the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Transportation.
Ms Joshi, an attorney with over 16 years of experience leading government oversight agencies, was Chair and CEO of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, the nation''s largest for-hire transportation regulator where she spearheaded novel Vision Zero campaigns using data tools to keep high risk drivers and unsafe vehicles off the road.
She also led landmark policy, including establishing robust open transportation data standards for app-based providers; enacting the nation''s first for-hire driver pay protection programme and providing broad access to for-hire transportation for passengers who use wheelchairs.
Prior to transportation regulation, Ms Joshi was the Inspector General for New York City's Department of Corrections, responsible for investigation of corruption and criminality at all levels of New York City's jail operations and the First Deputy Executive Director of New York City's Civilian Complaint Review Board, leading investigations of police misconduct.
In addition to her government positions, Ms Joshi served as General Manager for the New York Office of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants, and was a visiting scholar at New York University's Rudin Center for Transportation Policy.
Ms Joshi, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, holds a BA and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ms Fox currently serves as the Acting Assistant Administer for Water. The EPA's Office of Water works to ensure that drinking water is safe, wastewater is safely returned to the environment, and surface waters are properly managed and protected.
Prior to joining EPA, Ms Fox served as Chief Executive Officer for the US Water Alliance, where she established herself as a widely recognised national thought leader on complex water issues, from equitable water management to investing in our nation''s water infrastructure.
Her work has helped address the most salient water issues facing the nation, including climate change, affordability, equity, governance, innovative finance, and the evolution of the One Water movement.
Ms Fox previously directed the policy and government affairs agenda for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which is responsible for providing 24/7 water, wastewater, and municipal power services to 2.6 million Bay Area residents.
She also served as the Federal Policy Director at PolicyLink, where she coordinated the organization''s policy agenda on a wide range of issues, including infrastructure investment, transportation, sustainable communities, economic inclusion, and workforce development.
Ms Fox holds a BA from Columbia University and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley.