By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: Indian American Manju Ganeriwala has been reappointed as the State Treasurer of Virginia by the new Republican Governor Bob McDonnell. She held the same cabinet position under the previous Democratic administration.
The Akola-born, Mumbai-raised Ganeriwala, who immigrated to the US with her husband in 1976, had been appointed State Treasurer in January 2009 by previous Democratic Governor Timothy Kaine.
Her reappointment by McDonnell, is seen as a clear manifestation of the trust and confidence McDonnell places in her years of professional expertise and experience.
As State Treasurer in the McDonnell administration, Ganeriwala will oversee the investment of over $9 billion in public funds; management of over $15 billion in debt; insurance of bonds, provision of banking services, and administration of the state’s insurance and unclaimed property programmes.
She also serves as the chairperson of the Treasury Board, and is a member of ten other boards, including the Virginia College Savings Plan, Virginia Housing Development Authority, Virginia Port Authority, and the Virginia Resources Authority.
Ganeriwala has more than 28 years of experience in the public and private sectors. Prior to her appointment as Treasurer, she served as Deputy Secretary of Finance from January 2006 through December 2008.
Ganeriwala’s service to the state includes her leadership role with the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services where she served as the agency’s chief financial officer for six years.
She also served in leadership positions at the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget where she was an associate director for eight years and a senior analyst for six years advising on policy, fiscal, and legislative issues.
Her experience also includes strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions analysis, and long-range forecasting for the East Ohio Gas Company in Cleveland.
Ganeriwala holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Bombay and a Master’s in Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
She is the 2009 recipient of the YWCA’s Outstanding Women Award (government). Ganeriwala currently serves as the Southern Regional Vice President of the National Association of State Treasurers.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])