An Indian-American woman, Arpita Bhattacharyya, has been named among a group of new additional appointees at the US department of energy. The announcement was made by the Biden-Harris administration recently. This is expected to advance US President Joe Biden’s “Build back better” agenda to combat climate change and create jobs with good pay.
Arpita Bhattacharyya is set to join the team as chief of staff, office of the deputy secretary. She recently led strategic projects at Impossible Foods, a food and beverage company that made meat from plants. She has also worked to bring low-emission food technology to the market.
Bhattacharyya has previously worked at SunPower, a leading renewables company in San Francisco. Here, she was responsible for working towards developing commercial solar projects for Fortune 500 companies. She later led the channel project development and finance team.
Bhattacharyya is one of many Indian-Americans who the Biden administration has selected for leadership roles. She has worked with the US and international governments on collaborative climate partnerships at the Center for American Progress.
A resident of the San Francisco Bay area, Arpita Bhattacharyya holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA degree from Carleton College. Her works on climate change and the environment have also been published.
The Department of Energy’s website says, “The US Department of Energy (DOE) has one of the richest and most diverse histories in the federal government. Although only in existence since 1977, the Department traces its lineage to the Manhattan Project effort to develop the atomic bomb during World War II and to the various energy-related programs that previously had been dispersed throughout various federal agencies.”
Tarik Shah, chief of staff of the Department of energy, announced the new appointments.
“DOE is thrilled to welcome these extraordinary individuals who are committed to championing climate solutions and delivering on President Biden’s promise of a more prosperous, equitable clean energy future. Their talent and innovative spirit are invaluable to our success and making our clean energy future a reality,” Tarik Shah was quoted as saying.
As per DOE’s website, their mission is to “Fulfill the Department of Energy’s post-closure responsibilities and ensure the future protection of human health and the environment.”
