Biden nominates Indian-origin woman attorney and certified public accountant to key admin positions

Civil rights attorney Kalpana Kotagal and certified public accountant Vinay Singh were nominated to key administration positions

U.S. President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Indian-origin civil rights attorney Kalpana Kotagal and certified public accountant Vinay Singh to key administration positions.

Ms. Kotagal is the nominee for Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission while Mr. Singh has been nominated as Chief Financial Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the White House said on Friday.

Ms. Kotagal, who is the daughter of immigrants from India, is a partner at Cohen Milstein, a member of the firm’s Civil Rights and Employment practice group, and co-chair of the firm’s Hiring and Diversity Committee.

She is the co-author of the seminal legal template ‘Inclusion Rider’.

Ms. Kotagal is also a diversity, equity and inclusion expert, and represents disenfranchised people in employment and civil rights litigation involving issues related to Title VII, Equal Pay Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act, the White House said.

Indian-American Impact, nation’s leading civic Indian American and South Asian organisation, welcomed the nomination of Ms. Kotagal to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

“Kotagal is an exceptionally talented litigator who has been a fierce advocate for employment equity and civil rights,” said Neil Makhija, executive director of Indian American Impact.