Meet the Indian American Behind President Biden’s Incredible Inaugural Speech
January 22, 2021
With the dawn of the Biden administration comes Cholleti Vinay Reddy, the country’s first Indian American presidential speechwriter.
Reddy’s roots originate from Pothireddypeta, a rural village in the Indian state of Telangana, whose residents have been celebrating his latest milestone: Biden’s inaugural address.
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Reddy is believed to have acquired his political acumen from his grandfather, Tirupathi, who served as the village sarpanch (head) for 30 years.
Reddy’s father, Narayana, migrated to the U.S. in the 1970s to become a cardiologist, but he and his wife Vijaya still visit the village, where they have retained their ancestral agricultural land.
Reddy is the second of three sons. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Miami University and a law degree from the Ohio State University College of Law.
The father-of-two served as senior advisor and speechwriter for the Biden-Harris Campaign. He continued working as a speechwriter during the Biden-Harris Transition.
Reddy also served as speechwriter to then-Vice President Biden in the second term of the Obama administration. When it ended, he worked as vice president of strategic communications at the National Basketball Association.
During the Obama administration, Reddy also served as a senior speechwriter at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. He also worked as a speechwriter for Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio.
Reddy is now serving as speechwriting director of the White House.
“It’s a matter of pride not just for our family but the entire village that Mr. Vinay Reddy rose to such an important position in the US,” said Cholleti Sai Krishna Reddy, a relative, according to Gulf News.
Meanwhile, a former chairman of Telangana’s Lower Manair Dam told The Hindu: “The village is on the world map because of our family members and it’s a great honor for all the villagers.”
Reddy lives in New York with his wife and two daughters.
Feature Images via Ohio State University College of Law (left), @POTUS (right)
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