Feature
www.indiaweekly.biz • October, 2025
10
IN MAY 2025, Washingtonian magazine released its annual
list of the 500 Most Influential People in Washington, high
lighting those who shape major policy debates from outside
the government. Among them were ten Indian Americans
whose work spans healthcare, climate, technology, national
security, and global trade.
The names include Neera Tanden, head of the Center for Amer
ican Progress, who continues to lead debates on economic invest
ments and social policies; Kavita Patel, physician and former Oba
ma health official, who has defended the Affordable Care Act; and
Ruchi Bhowmik, Netflix’s vice president of public policy, who is
engaged in regulatory issues affecting the streaming industry.
Also on the list are figures like Atul Keshap of the US–India Busi
ness Council and Karan Bhatia of Google, reflecting the broad areas
where Indian Americans are playing leading roles in Washington.
Neera Tanden
Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Pro
gress (CAP), returned to the think tank after serving in the Biden
administration. She has resumed her role as a progressive voice,
countering Republican-led proposals on Medicaid and pressing for
middle-class economic measures such as a higher minimum wage.
Tanden stresses the need to show voters the effects of policies like
proposed Medicaid cuts and continues to focus on presenting alter
natives to the status quo.
Kavita Patel
Kavita Patel, a physician at Mary’s Center and a former Obama health
official, has long defended the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She said
the ACA “cannot be undone by a White House pen,” underlining the
law’s continuing role in American healthcare. Patel works on expand
ing access to care and providing support to underserved populations,
drawing on her experience as both a clinician and policymaker.
Anand Parekh
Anand Parekh, chief medical adviser at the Bipartisan Policy Center,
has helped restart the House Congressional Primary Care Caucus.
Using his background in medicine and public health, Parekh pushes
lawmakers to reinvest in prevention, public health, and primary
care as key to improving population health nationwide. He earlier
served as deputy assistant secretary of health.
Jay Khosla
Jay Khosla, Humana’s chief government affairs officer, previously
worked in Senate Republican leadership. At Humana, he now helps
shape federal healthcare and economic strategy from the private
sector, combining his knowledge of legislative processes with cor
porate planning.
Ruchi Bhowmik
Ruchi Bhowmik, vice president of public policy at Netflix, leads the
company’s engagement with governments on matters such as
streaming regulation, net neutrality, copyright, and data privacy.
She draws on her policy experience from the Obama administration
to address regulatory challenges affecting content and technology
both in the United States and abroad.
Atul Keshap
Atul Keshap, president of the US–India Business Council (USIBC) at
the US Chamber of Commerce, has been active in urging India to
pursue more ambitious reforms in taxation, regulatory processes,
and business frameworks. After India’s 2024 elections, he empha
sized the importance of these reforms to strengthen India’s global
competitiveness and attract investment.
Samir Kapadia
Samir Kapadia, managing principal of the Vogel Group, is noted for
his expertise in steel tariffs and trade policy. He advises multina
tional companies on trade compliance and helps them manage
complex international trade issues.
Nitin Chadda
Nitin Chadda, co-founder of WestExec Advisors and vice chairman
at Teneo, works in national security and technology strategy. He
advises defense and technology clients on federal engagement. Be
fore co-founding WestExec, Chadda was senior advisor for strategy
to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and held positions at the White
House and the State Department.
Karan Bhatia
Karan Bhatia, Google’s vice president of Government Affairs and
Public Policy, oversees a team that operates in more than 50 coun
tries. As adviser to the company’s CEO, he helps guide discussions
on technology regulation, artificial intelligence governance, and
digital rights.
He previously served as Deputy US Trade Representative and
worked in senior roles in the Bush administration.
Radhika Fox
Radhika Fox, now principal at North Star Strategy, earlier led the
Environmental Protection Agency’s water program. She played a
central role in developing the water component of the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, securing a $50 billion federal appropriation.
That investment was the largest single federal commitment to wa
ter infrastructure, including efforts to remove lead pipes. Fox now
advises executives on environmental policy matters.
These ten Indian Americans highlight the influence of the Indian
diaspora in Washington. Their contributions span health, econom
ic policy, environment, technology, national security, and
international trade.
Indian Americans shaping
policy across Washington
TEN ACHIEVERS RESHAPE DEBATES ON HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT
INFLUENCE NETWORK:
(Clockwise from this
image) Neera Tanden;
Kavita Patel; Anand
Parekh; Ruchi Bhowmik;
and Jay Khosla