An Indian In Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON

South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson has appointed an IndianAmerican to serve as his chief of staff and in doing so has created a bit ofhistory.

Dino Teppara has become the first Indian American to ever serve as chief ofstaff to a Republican member of Congress, in either the House of Representativesor Senate. He is now the highest ranking Indian American staff member in theHouse. There are an average of 25-30 Hill staffers of South Asian origin onCapitol Hill.

Announcing the promotion for Mr. Teppara, till recently legislative directorfor the congressman, Mr. Wilson said, "Dino has worked on behalf of SouthCarolina's Second Congressional District for the past five years, and he bringsa wealth of knowledge to this position. I am confident in his ability to leadthe office and proud that we will begin the 110th Congress with an able andcommitted team."

In an interview with this correspondent, Mr. Teppara said he was"greatly honoured."

"To serve your hometown Congressman is very special. You have ties tothe district, you travel there, your family lives there, and you meetconstituents, so there is a very personal connection," Mr. Teppara said."Also, Congressman Wilson has been a longtime supporter of the IndianAmerican community, so it is a great honor to be the first [Indian American] GOPChief of Staff ever in Congress."

He will be responsible for overseeing the budget, staff and agenda for Mr.Wilson's office. "It is a leadership role requiring someone to beorganized, a team player, and being a good manager to maintain solidrelationships with all the staff," he explained.

By his own admission, Mr. Teppara ended up on Capitol Hill "byaccident." Not sure he would like it, he had planned to work in thecongressman's office for only a year. "Now, I am very inspired to be hereand think very highly of public service," he said.

In 2005, Mr. Teppara was offered a top political appointment by PresidentGeorge W. Bush's administration at the Department of Justice, but opted toremain with Mr. Wilson. He is a veteran of nearly 10 campaigns, includingCongressman Bobby Jindal's gubernatorial race in Louisiana 2003. Mr. Jindal lostthat race but went on to become the second Indian American in Congress and theonly one in the present legislative body.

The late Dalip Singh Saund was the first Indian American in Congress. ACalifornia Democrat, Mr. Saund was honoured recently when Congress approved theinstallation of his portrait on Capitol Hill. Mr. Teppara wrote the resolutioncalling on Congress to place a portrait of Mr. Saund on Capitol Hill. "Thiswas very important to me personally, because I did this after reading hisbiography, which was incredibly inspiring. I focused on the portrait when Ifound out efforts were underway to honor the first African American, firstHispanic, and first woman elected to Congress, but there was no effort beingmade yet to honor Saund, who was not only the first Asian American but the firstIndian American ever elected to Congress," Mr. Teppara said. "As an IndianAmerican working in Congress, I found his triumphant story most inspiring andwanted to ensure he was properly honored."

Mr. Teppara believes people of Indian origin play a crucial role in pushinglegislation that benefits the nearly two million strong Indian Americancommunity. "The [U.S.-India] civilian nuclear deal is a prime example"of a situation in which Indian American Congressional staffers can help, hesaid. As the nuclear bills wound their way through Congress, his role was tohelp inform other Members of Congress about the benefits of the deal through hisCongressman. He drafted talking points, sent out Dear Colleague letters,attended briefings, and had crucial access to information and contacts on andoff the Hill such as in the Bush Administration, that enabled him to help pushthe deal forward in conjunction with "our allies - the business community,State Department, and White House." The bill passed with overwhelmingsupport last year and Mr. Bush signed it into law.

In 2005, during the 108th Congress, Mr. Teppara served as the primaryRepublican contact for the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans,which Mr. Wilson co-chaired. He created the official India Caucus Web site andhelped grow the Republican membership of the Caucus to its highest level ever.