On June 11, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Vinai Thummalapally to be Ambassador to Belize. Official bio released by the WH below:
Mr. Thummalapally is the President of MAM-A Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of recordable optical discs. Prior to his role at MAM-A Inc., he served as the plant manager for Mitsui Advanced Media Inc., which also manufactures recordable optical discs. He has served in several other similar roles in his 31-year career, including as General Manager for WEA Manufacturing, as a Managing Partner of Clines Office Products, and as Manufacturing Manager of Disc Manufacturing, Inc.
He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from California State University and completed post graduate courses in Business Administration.
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The SAJA Forum (South Asian Journalist Association) has named Vinai Thummalapally one of the top Indian-American bundlers for Barack Obama, raising over $100,000 for the campaign. [Bundlers are people with friends in high places who, after bumping against personal contribution limits, turn to those friends, associates, and, well, anyone who's willing to give, and deliver the checks to the candidate in one big "bundle."]
If confirmed, Mr. Thummalapally would replace Robert Johann Dieter, a political appointee who served as US Ambassador to Belize during George W. Bush’s second term. You have to go back all the way to to 1990 to find a career diplomat assigned as our top gun in Belize.
Related Items: (additional items added from OpenSecrets.org on 6/19/09)
- President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 6-11-09
- OpenSecrets.org from Center for Responsive Politics: Obama_ambassador_Data_090612.xls (Excel file)
- Obama's New Ambassador Nominees Gave Big -- and Bundled Bigger
