Gautam Raghavan is an Indian American political advisor who served at the White House Presidential Personnel Office (WH PPO) as Deputy Director from 20 January 2021 to 12 December 2021. On 12 December 2021, US President Joe Biden elevated him to the post of head of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. At this event, Gautam Raghavan became one of the topmost aides to the US President and was categorised among those American Indians who hold the top positions in the US government.Gautam was born in India and raised in Seattle. When Gautam was three years old, his family immigrated to Atlanta where his father was pursuing his PhD degree. His father received the job opportunity to work in Seattle that he accepted. Gautam, along with his family, shifted to Seattle from Atlanta where he was brought up. In a conversation with a media person, Gautam narrated about his often visits to India. He said, I grew up in the Seattle suburbs, in a very diverse suburban community. We go back to India every couple of years, but my experience was Seattle suburbs. A childhood picture of Gautam He added about his school days. He said, I would say I was half-drama nerd and half-band geek. So I was a very popular kid in school..Gautam Raghavan is a first-generation immigrant from India who is an LGBTQ+ and served as the Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement under former US President Barack Obama from 15 October 2011 to 20 January 2017. As an associate director, Gautam focused to highlight the issues related to the LGBT and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities that involved marriage equality, non-discrimination at the workplace, the rights of transgenders, prevention from office bullying, access to healthcare facilities, hate violence, and immigration reforms. Gautam Raghavan with Barack Obama.Soon, the former president of the US Barack Obama started supporting the provision of marriage equality during Gautams working tenure at the White House under the Obama presidency. Later, Obama signed and issued an order that prohibited federal contractors to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. [3]CNN.Gautam is the author of the book titled West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House. It was published in September 2018. The cover of the book West Wingers.Apart from being a US governmental official, Gautam Raghavan also works for non-governmental organisations that are also known as progressive organisations in the US. These ventures such as the Biden Foundation and ImPact, the Indian American Impact Project & Fund work with the motive of societal change in the country. For the years, 2016 to 2018, Gautam was involved in founding the ImPact, a global membership community, as an executive director. Raj Goyle, the co-founder of ImPact Project, stated in a media conference that Gautam worked relentlessly for the upliftment of his organisation. [4]India West He spoke about the contributions of Gautam on Gautams last day at ImPact venture. He said, As our founding executive director, Gautam has worked tirelessly to raise the visibility of our organization, our community, and our leaders. While were sad to lose him, we are thrilled that he will be a top advisor to Congresswoman Jayapal, one of the most prominent Indian Americans in elected office today. This kind of talent pipeline is why IMPACT exists..Gautam worked as a chief staff of the Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from December 2018 to July 2020. [5]Pramila Jayapal Gautam Raghavan with Pramila Jayapal (middle).In 2018, Gautam said in an interview that he considered himself lucky because his sexuality was accepted by his parents, and this good fortune helped him to develop his professional career in a positive way. [6]The Times of India He said, Im lucky. From the day I came out [as being gay] to my parents, they have been unwavering in their love and support and over the years, they have helped me come out to the rest of my family, including my grandparents who share their love and support for me, my husband, and our daughter. That good fortune has extended to my professional career as well. Gautam Raghavan (second from right) with his husband and parents.In June 2020, Gautam started working as the deputy head of presidential appointments in the White House. He was appointed by the Biden-Harris Transition Team. On 20 January 2020, he was promoted as the deputy director at the White House Presidential Personnel Office (WH PPO).In December 2021, Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, announced that Cathy Russell would be the next executive director of UNICEF. Soon after this declaration, US President Joe Biden appointed Gautam Raghavan as the head of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Joe Biden said, I am also pleased that Gautam Raghavan, who has worked in tandem with Cathy from Day One, will become PPOs new director a seamless transition that will enable us to continue building a federal workforce that is efficient, effective, dependable and diverse. Gautam Raghavan while posing with his colleagues at White House.