Days in her new job, Biswal in her own words "stole" another Indian-American Atul Keshap, who had done a stint at the US embassy in New Delhi 2005-2008, from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Bureau, to be her new deputy.

Just six months after his inauguration, Obama named Vinai Thummalapally as the US ambassador to Belize. Son of a retired scientist who worked for Andhra Pradesh Forensic Sciences Laboratory, he is the first Indian American ambassador in US history.

In September, Obama nominated Puneet Talwar, a noted Indian-American Middle East policy specialist to a key diplomatic post as the assistant secretary of state for political military affairs.