Gopal Khanna has been named chief financial officer of the Peace Corps.
Khanna is currently chief information officer, and acting CFO, of the Corps; during his tenure, he is credited with having enhanced the systems technology of the Corps and overseen its financial planning.
"Khanna brings to the institution his extensive experience in leveraging technology to improve business processes and we are happy to have him as a part of our team," Peace Corps Director Gaddi H Vasquez said in the official announcement of the appointment.
The CFO is a senior level policy making position, responsible for directing and monitoring the agency's internal budget processes, as well as managing its financial systems, accounting, and fiscal operations.
The CFO is also tasked with organising the development of the Peace Corps budget requests to Congress.
"Mr Khanna has been very active in the community service through the Association of Indians in America for over twenty years," said AIA national president Dr Piyush Agrawal. "Currently, as AIA's national vice president, Gopal has given a new dimension to the organisation."
Agrawal termed Gopal a visionary leader in all fields of endeavour.
Prior to his employment with the Peace Corps, Khanna was president and CEO of International Technology Consultants Incorporated and as CIO at the American Hardware and Insurance Group.
A Republican Party activist and staunch supporter of President George W Bush, Khanna has worked on bringing in new voters into the party.
A resident of Edina, Minnesota, he is actively involved in government and community organisations, as an appointee of former Minnesota governor Arne Carlson to the Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation; as a task force member in deliberations leading to the publishing of the Minnesota Policy Blueprint; as a member of the boards of directors of the Minnesota International Centre, and the Minnesota Minority Supplier Development Council; and as national vice president of the AIA.