Desh Deshpande to co-chair President Obama’s National Advisory Council

BANGALORE, INDIA: Dr. Gururaj Deshpande, chairman of Tejas Networks, A123 and Akshaya Patra, USA has been appointed as the Co-Chairman of President Obama’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

He will support President Obama’s innovation strategy by helping to develop policies that foster entrepreneurship, create jobs, and drive economic growth. This was announced by US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke at a US Department of Commerce, University Innovation Forum at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Deshpande is one of 26 members and the only Indian to be co-chairing this council. Members of the council include serial entrepreneurs, university presidents, investors and non-profit leaders. Steve Case, Mary Sue Coleman, and Desh Deshpande will serve as Co-Chairs.

“America's innovation engine is not as efficient or as effective as it needs to be, and we are not creating as many jobs as we should,” Locke said.

“We must get better at connecting the great ideas to the great company builders. The National Advisory Council will help the administration develop a broader strategy to spur innovation and enable entrepreneurs to develop breakthrough technologies and dynamic companies, and to create jobs all across America.I want to extend my gratitude to the leaders selected to The National Advisory Council. Their work will be a key component of America’s economic recovery.”

Dr. Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande is a highly successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. Dr. Deshpande serves as a member of the MIT Corporation, and his generous donations have made possible MIT's Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation.

The Deshpande Foundation is one of the leading philanthropic foundations in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship and international development. Through its grants, the Deshpande Foundation has helped launch innovative companies, helped NGOs develop an international presence and launched partnerships with some of the most remarkable change agents in the world today.

Since 2000, Dr. Deshpande and his wife, Jaishree, have been involved in several non-profit initiatives that include support for MIT, IIT, TiE, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Public Health Foundation of India and the Social Entrepreneurship Sandbox in Hubli, India.