Our Bureau
Santa Barbara, CA
The President’s Commission on White House Fellows is pleased to announce the appointment of the 2024-2025 class of White House Fellows. This announcement includes 2 proud recipients of Indian origin namely Padmini Pillai from Newton and Nalini Tata from New York City.
Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows program offers exceptional young leaders first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. Fellows spend a year working with senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking Administration officials and leave the Administration equipped to serve as better leaders in their communities.
Padmini Pillai from Newton, Massachusetts, is placed at the Social Security Administration. An immunoengineer, Padmini will help bridge the gap between discoveries in immunology and advances in biomaterial design to treat human disease. She was instrumental at MIT in developing a tumor-selective nanotherapy to eliminate hard-to-treat cancers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Padmini was featured in several media outlets including CNBC, The Atlantic, and The New York Times to discuss vaccination, immunity, and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on vulnerable communities. Padmini received her Ph.D. in immunobiology from Yale University and a B.A. in biochemistry from Regis College.
Nalini Tata from New York City, New York, is placed at the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs. She is a neurosurgery resident at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center/Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she helps treat the spectrum of emergency and elective neurosurgical conditions. Her published work spans clinical and non-scientific journals with a focus on advancing equity in access to care.
Nalini’s career in neurosurgery and long-standing interest in public policy are closely bound by a deep-rooted dedication to public service. She received her BSc in neurobiology from Brown University, MPhil from the University of Cambridge, M.D. from Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, and MPP in Democracy, Politics, and Institutions from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Padmini and Nalini have been selected through a highly competitive selection process, and they are remarkably gifted, passionate, and accomplished people. Padmini and Nalini are sure to leave their mark on the US administration with their Indian ethos.
