WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Maju Varghese, a former senior official in the Biden and Obama administrations, has been named Principal at NEWCO Strategies, a woman and LGBTQ-led, majority-minority strategic consulting firm. The son of immigrants from Kerala, India, has held senior positions on the staffs of two Presidents, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, presidential campaigns, dynamic non-profit organizations, and the legal industry.
Over the last two decades, Varghese has led teams across industries through adversity and change to achieve history-making results, according to his company profile.
Varghese most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), an organization that supports democracy work around the world with a staff of 300 employees and a budget of over $300 million.
In this role, Varghese spearheaded operational improvements, leveraging technology to make critical processes more efficient. He also led NED through the critical post-pandemic period by leading the work to finalize a hybrid return to office policy and the completion of NED’s first collective bargaining agreement with its staff union.
Prior to that, Varghese served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Military Office, overseeing an organization of nearly 3,000 military and civilian personnel who provide essential services to the White House and ensure worldwide, daily, uninterrupted functioning of the presidency.
In this role, he managed the Presidential Airlift Group, the Marine Helicopter Squadron, Camp David, the White House Communications Agency, and the White House Medical Unit.
Before joining the Biden administration, Varghese was Executive Director of the 59th Presidential Inaugural Committee, navigating the Covid-19 pandemic and heightened security concerns following the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Varghese led the planning of all inaugural events, including driving the development of the “Field of Flags” on the National Mall which garnered international attention for its creativity and symbolism. Varghese oversaw the logistics of inaugural programming, including a National Covid-19 Memorial Event at the Lincoln Memorial and “Celebrating America—An Inauguration Night Special”—an Emmy-nominated, nationally televised concert on Jan 20, 2021, that drew over 20 million viewers.
Varghese also served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Advisor on the Biden Campaign, with oversight of national operations, personnel, travel, vetting, and compliance from the primaries through the general election. When Covid-19 began, Varghese worked with health advisers to develop safety protocols for the campaign, including the shift of staffers to remote work and from in-person events to virtual formats. He also led the negotiation of the campaign’s collective bargaining agreement with the union representing the campaign’s field organizers, the first such agreement for the staff of a major party nominee.
Prior to serving on the campaign, he was Chief Operating Officer of the Hub Project, a Washington, DC-based non-profit, and senior advisor at Dentons, a multinational law firm.
Previously in his career, Varghese was a senior member of Obama’s staff at the White House. He oversaw day-to-day White House operations, including oversight of the budget, personnel, and facilities as Assistant to the President for Management and Administration.
Varghese also served as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Advance, helping to lead the team that coordinates the President’s events and travel.
In this capacity, he worked closely with the National Security Council, the US Department of State, foreign governments, the White House Military Office, and the United States Secret Service to plan and execute the President’s overseas travel. Prior to his time at the White House, Varghese practiced law, serving as a litigation associate in a New York City law firm.
Varghese is an alumnus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics, and the Maurice A. Dean School of Law at Hofstra University, where he earned his Juris Doctor.
Varghese was born in the US to parents who immigrated from Thiruvalla, Kerala. His mother, Saroja Varghese, came alone first as a nurse in 1972 after working with the Indian Air Force. She was later joined by her husband and elder daughter, Manju.
He lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife Julie and their son Evan.