Indian-American politician Swati Dandekar has been nominated by the US Senate to the post of Executive Director to the Asian Development Bank which has ambassadorial rank. The first-ever Indian-American to be elected to Iowa House of Representatives in 2003, Dandekar, would replace Robert M. Orr, who has held this position since 2010.
Dandekar, 65, was also the first Indian-born American citizen to win a state legislature seat in the United States. Obama had nominated Dandekar to the top US position in ADB in November last year. A member of the Iowa House of Representatives for from 2003 to 2009, Dandekar was also member of the Iowa Senate from 2009 to 2011.