Aneesh Chopra

Aneesh Chopra served as the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States of America under the administration of President Barack Obama. He also spent some of his formative years in the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district. This article, written Oct. 2024, explores his relationship to WW-P and his ongoing impact on the world.

Historical Overview

Aneesh Chopra was born in Trenton, New Jersey, in the summer of 1972. He is the son of Ram and Neelam Chopra, Indian immigrants. His father was an engineer with three patents to his name by the time he retired. Meanwhile, his mother worked her way up to become a manager of budgets and financial reporting on Wall Street. Their immediate family was part of a larger group of friends and family around the Philadelphia area.[1]

In 1980, the Chopras purchased a house on Krebs Road in Plainsboro and Aneesh and his siblings entered the West Windsor-Plainsboro school system.[2] Aneesh attended Dutch Neck School from grades 4-6 and High School South for grades 7-12, graduating in 1990.[3],[4],[5],[6] In the summer after 8th grade, he participated McCarter Theatre's youth Shakespeare program, performing alongside Ethan Hawke, another former West Windsor resident who is now a globally-famous actor and director.[7] At High School South, he was elected the student government's Vice President.[8]

In a 2020 interview with Columbia University for the Obama Presidency Oral History collection, Aneesh cited the WW-P school district's dynamics in shaping his political future: "the community had made education a priority ... [and was] academically rigorous and as a result had some creative coursework that may not be what you typically find in high school ... I was particularly struck by a boisterous soccer coach by the name of Brian Welsh. Mr. Welsh created a class called IPLE, the Institute for Politics and Leadership Education ... it was more of a pragmatic guide. We debated in class, and we wrote letters, and we engaged our real-life members of Congress and others."[9]

High School South's sign, probably 1990s or earlier.

Aneesh further described a life-changing incident during a class trip to Washington, D.C.: "My hero was Senator Bill Bradley (Dem., NJ) [and at one point his] chief of staff addressed our group. I had, with my mentor's permission, crafted a résumé. And I gave them a look after his remarks, and I said, “Hey, I'm going to go chase this guy down about an internship.' ... I literally ran down the hallway [and] he almost was startled to see me. His name was Richard Yurko—I said, 'Look, I know this is a bit forward, but I am very eager to do anything to [serve Senator Bradley].' ... [Richard] said, “Come by the office and let me see what I can do.” Ultimately, I spent three days a week volunteering in the mail room, sorting mail. But it was more important than the mail. I got that congressional badge, which meant that I could go walk the halls. I ... read, like a velociraptor [in the Congressional Research Service library], all the reports about the issues of the day. That strengthened and solidified my passion for public service and my desire to [solve] big problems. So that was the uniqueness of my high school."[10]

Aneesh went on to earn a B.A. in Health Policy at the Johns Hopkins University (1994) and an M.P.P. in Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School (1997).[11] He briefly worked as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley, then Managing Director at the Advisory Board company.[12] In 2003, though registered as a Democrat, Aneesh was also a friend and contributor to the Louisiana gubernatorial campaign of Republican Bobby Jindal [13] - who, although he lost that specific race,[14] later became the country's first Indian American governor in 2008.[15] However, for Aneesh's own part, it was an entirely different role that propelled him to high-level politics.

Bill Bradley, 1980.

In 2006, Virginia's Governor Tim Kaine announced Aneesh as Virginia's Secretary of Technology.[16] In this position, Aneesh pushed for innovations in the Commonwealth's government, including implementing a statewide performance management strategy and creating a Productivity Innovation Fund which provided resources for state agencies to pursue IT projects to improve efficiency.

However, Aneesh's most prominent position was yet to come. In 2009, he was announced as the first "Chief Technology Officer" of the United States. Under this position, Aneesh was charged with promoting technological innovation as a way to spur job growth, reduce health care costs, and generally protecting the country. The CTO collaborates with various government entities and other stakeholders to inform federal policy, efficiency, and implementation.

During his tenure, Aneesh spearheaded several notable initiatives:

The President's Strategy for American Innovation: focused on streamlining programs focused on education, research, and infrastructure.
Startup America: A framework to help spur entrepreneurship by reducing barriers to entry, helping entrepreneurs connect with mentors, improving access to funding, and more.
Open Innovator's Toolkit: a collection of best practices for leaders to use when approaching policy proposals, with an emphasis on a "bottom-up" approach that relies on expertise at all levels - not just executive-level.
Blue Button and Green Button: programs that help military veterans obtain their health records and Americans to track their energy consumption data.

Chopra left the White House in 2012. The next year, he ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. In the years since, he has served a number of high-level posts, including being appointed in 2014 to be on Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe's Council on Virginia's Future. Aneesh continues to focus on technology policy.

The Chief Technology Officer serves the Office of Science & Technology Policy.

Other Prominent People

Bibliography

Springer, Kimberly, and Aneesh Chopra. Aneesh Chopra - Chief Technology Officer. Other. Obama Presidency Oral History. Columbia University, August 3, 2020.
Chopra, Neelam, Chopra, Ram, U.S. Home Corporation. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1980. Located in the Middlesex County Clerk's Office, Middlesex County Deed Book 3163, Page 749.
Springer, Kimberly, and Aneesh Chopra. Aneesh Chopra - Chief Technology Officer. Other. Obama Presidency Oral History. Columbia University, August 3, 2020.
West Windsor - Know Your Township. West Windsor, New Jersey: League of Women Voters, 1976. Pamphlet by the League of Women Voters of the Princeton Area published in March 1976. Gives information on West Windsor's government, education system, history, demographics, and more. Physical pamphlet is located in the Archives of the Historical Society of West Windsor at the West Windsor History Museum (50 Southfield Road, West Windsor, NJ 08550).
Chopra, Aneesh. “Aneesh Chopra.” Linkedin. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/apchopra/. This is Aneesh Chopra's self-made professional Linkedin profile.
"Trenton Students Discover 'Rabbits." The Trentonian. July 14, 1985.
"McCarter's Shakespeare To Be Held This Weekend." Town Topics. July 23, 1986.
"Courter campaign dismisses importance of Wedtech letter." The Trentonian. September 27, 1989.
Springer, Kimberly, and Aneesh Chopra. Aneesh Chopra - Chief Technology Officer. Other. Obama Presidency Oral History. Columbia University, August 3, 2020.
Ibid.
Chopra, Aneesh. “Aneesh Chopra.” Linkedin. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/apchopra/. This is Aneesh Chopra's self-made professional Linkedin profile.
Ibid.
"Indian Americans support La. governor candidate." The Bismarck Tribune. October 25, 2003.
“Bobby Jindal 2008-2015.” Bobby Jindal. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/AboutLouisiana/LouisianaGovernors1877-Present/Pages/BobbyJindal.aspx.
“Bobby Jindal 2008-2015.” Bobby Jindal. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/AboutLouisiana/LouisianaGovernors1877-Present/Pages/BobbyJindal.aspx.
"Kaine Continues to assemble diverse Cabinet." The Richmond Times-Dispatch. December 16, 2005.