NEW YORK: Two Indian Americans have been appointed to senior positions in Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama's camp. Hari Sevugan has joined Obama's communications staff as Senior Spokesperson, while Udai Tambar has been appointed to his Urban Policy Committee.

Sevugan, the son of Indian-American immigrants, is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where he studied Political Science and Finance. After graduating, Sevugan joined Teach for America, an Americorps program that places willing, qualified college graduates as teachers in underserved communities throughout the country.

After two years as an award-winning school teacher in the Washington Heights community of New York, Sevugan enrolled in Northwestern School of Law, where he was an active member of the Bluhm Legal Clinic that offered pro bono legal service to juvenile and indigent clients. After earning a J.D., Sevugan practiced securities law in Chicago for two years.

Drawn to service, Sevugan left his practice to become the Deputy Policy Director for Dan Hynes' Senate campaign in Illinois. Later that cycle, Sevugan was the Deputy Campaign Manager for the insurgent Senate campaign of Dr. Daniel Mongiardo in Kentucky. Under his leadership, the Mongiardo campaign came within 20,000 votes of a republican incumbent, despite being outspent five-to-one.

Last year, Sevugan joined Tim Kaine's campaign for Governor in Virginia as Policy Director and was heavily involved in crafting the message that vaulted Kaine to a sixpoint victory last November. Sevugan was asked to stay on with the transition team as Senior Policy Advisor to Governor-Elect Kaine. As for Tambar, he is a former policy director to Newark Mayor Cory Booker.