Vinai K. Thummalapally | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Belize | |
In office July 28, 2009 – August 12, 2013 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Robert J. Dieter |
Succeeded by | Carlos R. Moreno |
Personal details | |
Born | 1954 (age 69–70) |
Education |
California State University University of Tennessee |
Vinai K. Thummalapally (born 1954) was the U.S. Ambassador to Belize. He is the first Indian American ambassador in U.S. history. [1]
Thummalapally is the son of T. Dharma Reddy, a retired scientist who worked for Andhra Pradesh Forensic Sciences Laboratory, and T. Padmaja.
He came to America in 1974, and attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, where he spent a summer as Barack Obama's roommate. [2] [3]
Prior to his appointment as Ambassador Thummalapally was CEO of MAM-A Inc (formerly known as Mitsui Advanced Media). He has two patents in optical disc manufacturing design. Thummalapally has a B.S. degree from California State University and took graduate classes in business administration from both CSU and the University of Tennessee. [4]