Sanjay Puri established and chairs the first Indian-American political action committee.
Indian-Americans have been successful individually, says Puri, who formed the U.S. India Political Action Committee in 2002. He believes that USINPAC will help the community leverage its economic success into political involvement for influencing issues of particular concern, such as immigration policy or the India-U.S. relationship, and for improving the society.
"We have some unique sensibilities," says Puri. "We can sensitize the political and thought leaders of this country about a global view. Sometimes in America we become too inward-looking."
In addition, he asserts, Congress and state legislatures need to reflect America's increasing diversity. Only one Indian-American, the second ever, serves in Congress. Puri wants to make sure that Indian-American candidates "don’t have to think twice about running because they didn't get the financial resources."
Puri arrived in Washington, D.C., from India at age 21 to attend graduate school. After a brief tenure as a financial analyst at the World Bank, he started a medical technology company. Today, he is chief executive of his second start-up, Optimos.
"The greatness of this country is that someone like me, who came from India, has access to the political system just like anyone else."
