✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Gautam Raghavan

Gautam Raghavan biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Gautam Raghavan Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

BirthplaceHyderabad, India

ProfessionPolitical Advisor

NationalityAmerican

Marital statusMarried

SpouseAndrew Masloski

FamilyDaughter - Maya

Gautam Raghavan Biography

Gautam Raghavan is an Indian American political advisor who has held senior roles in Democratic administrations and organizations. Raised in Seattle after移

Early life and background

Gautam Raghavan was born in Hyderabad, India, and is a first-generation immigrant to the United States. His family moved to the U.S. when he was a child; they lived in Atlanta for a time while his father pursued a PhD, and later settled in the Seattle suburbs where Gautam grew up. He describes his upbringing as rooted in a diverse suburban community and says his family returned to India every few years.

Gautam attended Stanford University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He has described himself as active in school life, participating in drama and band during his childhood and teenage years.

Career

Raghavan’s career has spanned political campaigns, government service, nonprofit leadership, and congressional staffing. Early work included roles with progressive organizations and Democratic campaign operations. In 2005 he began as a development assistant at Progressive Majority. He later worked with Obama for America as an Asian American finance director and served as Midwest finance director for the Democratic National Committee from 2006 to 2009.

From 2009 to 2011 he worked at the Department of Defense as White House liaison and deputy White House liaison, and he also served as the outreach lead for the Pentagon’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell working group. In the Obama-Biden administration, Raghavan was associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement from October 15, 2011, through January 20, 2017. In that position he focused on outreach to and engagement with LGBTQ+ communities and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, working on issues such as marriage equality, nondiscrimination in the workplace, transgender rights, access to health care, hate violence, and immigration.

Following his time in the Obama White House, Raghavan worked with philanthropic and advocacy organizations. He held executive positions at the Gill Foundation and was a founding executive director of ImPact, a global membership community he helped lead from about 2016 to 2018. He also served as an advisor to the Biden Foundation and held roles advancing civil rights and social justice.

In December 2018 he became chief of staff to Representative Pramila Jayapal, a role he held until July 2020. During the 2020 transition, the Biden-Harris team brought Raghavan into the presidential appointments effort. He joined the White House Presidential Personnel Office as deputy director on January 20, 2021, after serving as deputy head of presidential appointments for the transition. On December 12, 2021, President Joe Biden elevated him to lead the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, placing him among the senior aides responsible for building and staffing the federal workforce.

Public profile

Raghavan is openly gay and has spoken about the acceptance he received from his parents and family following his coming out. He is married to Andrew Masloski; the couple wed on September 6, 2010, and they have a daughter, Maya. The family lives with a pet dog and occasionally shares family moments on social media.

Raghavan is also an author. His book West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House was published in September 2018 and collects accounts from people who worked in the Obama White House.

Throughout his career, Raghavan has been active in efforts to expand diversity and inclusion within government and civic institutions. His roles in the Obama and Biden administrations, in nonprofit leadership, and on Capitol Hill reflect a long-standing focus on personnel, outreach, and civil-rights policy issues.

Latest updates

In mid-2020 Raghavan joined the Biden-Harris transition team on presidential appointments and became deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office on January 20, 2021. Later that year, on December 12, 2021, he was named director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel by President Biden.

He continues to be known for bridging government, nonprofit, and community work, particularly in areas affecting LGBTQ+ and Asian American communities.
◈

Recent Work

Director, White House Office of Presidential Personnel

Appointed by President Joe Biden to lead the office responsible for staffing and appointments in the federal workforce.

2021
Deputy Director, White House Presidential Personnel Office

Served as deputy director following the 2020 transition and beginning January 20, 2021.

2021
Author — West Wingers

Published a book of stories from people who worked in the Obama White House.

2018
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Associate Director, White House Office of Public Engagement (2011–2017)
  2. Deputy Director and later Director, White House Office of Presidential Personnel (2021)
  3. Chief of Staff to Representative Pramila Jayapal (2018–2020)
  4. Founding executive director of ImPact (circa 2016–2018)
  5. Service as White House liaison at the Department of Defense (2009–2011)
?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gautam Raghavan known for?

Political Advisor

What is Gautam Raghavan’s marital status?

Married

Who is Gautam Raghavan married to?

Andrew Masloski