Dr. Rajiv Shah

Dr. Rajiv Shah:

Born to Indian immigrant parents in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the 36 year old Shah serves as the Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics (REE) and Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With a staff of over 10,000 under him (including 2,200 federal scientists), and a budget in excess of $2.6 billion, Dr. Shah is tasked with leading the agency's participation in President Barack Obama's global food security initiative.

Prior to his appointment as Under Secretary, Dr. Shah worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in a variety of roles, including Director of Agricultural Development, which over saw the foundation's multi-billion dollar portfolio for grant and program related investments which looked to transform small scale farming around the world and over come hunger and poverty. He also managed the Foundation's $1.5 billion commitment to the Vaccine Fund, an effort that Bill and Melinda Gates called 'their best investment'.

During his tenure as Under Secretary at the Department of Agriculture, Dr. Shah has launched the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to help fund research programs that advance the knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and poor communities.

He has previously worked for Al Gore's 2000 Presidential campaign as a health care policy advisor and served as an advisor to the City of Philadelphia's Public Health Commissioner. Early in his career, he worked on a health and development project in rural Southern India.

He has recently been nominated by President Obama to be the chief of the U.S. Agency for International Development, (USAID), which would make him the highest ranking Indian American in the U.S. Administration, pending approval by Congress.