NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Clinton 'intends' to appoint 2 Indian to Asian American panel

US President Bill Clinton has announced his 'intent' to appoint 15 members, including two Indians -- Silicon Valley tycoon Vinod Dham and hotelier Mukesh (Mike) Patel -- to serve on the advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Headed by former Congressman Y Mineta, it advises the president on the development, monitoring, and coordination of federal efforts to improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The commission will study ways to increase public and private sector, and community involvement in improving the health and well being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and to increase their participation in federal programme where they may be under served.

Vinod Dham, of Fremont (California), is the chairman and chief executive officer of Silicon Spice Inc, a communications technology development firm in Silicon Valley. Previously, he was the chief operating officer and executive vice president of Nexgen Inc, where he executed the launch of the world's fastest PC microprocessor.

Dham earned a reputation as a technology trailblazer during his time at Intel Corporation where he headed the team responsible for the creation of the Pentium chip processor. He has also developed a non-profit virtual community for Bay Area seniors and was named to a magazine's list of 100 most influential Asian Americans for the past decade.

Dham received a BSEE from the University of Delhi, and a MSEE from the University of Cincinnati.

Patel, a graduate of the London School of Business, is a leader in the hospitality industry. He is a founding member of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association and served as its chairman from 1997-1999. In 1981, he co-founded the Diplomat hotel company and currently serves as president.

AAHOA represents the almost 15,000 hotel properties owned by Asian Americans, comprising about 40 per cent of the hotels in the United States. Patel is also a trustee of Morris Brown College in Atlanta and board member of the Georgia State University's Cecil B Day school of hospitality.

UNI

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report