Anju Bhargava

Anju Bhargava is a retired federal executive, a former senior banker and a pioneering community builder who served as a founding member of the New Jersey Corporate Diversity Network under Governor Christy Whitman, community builder fellow in the Clinton administration and a member of President Barack Obama's inaugural Advisory Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnership. She has provided thought leadership in the public and private sectors, locally and nationally, published papers and received many awards.

Education

Bhargava is a graduate of Stella Maris College, Madras University, India, Rutgers University (MBA), with training at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and American University.

Professional Work

Bhargava served, in 2014 as the first Chief Risk Officer for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and, in 2015, as Deputy Chief Strategy Officer for Social Security Administration, retiring in 2020.

Bhargava began her career as a banker and has held senior-level positions in corporate America, focusing on global business transformation, organizational development, and risk management, including credit and operational risk. Her research on NatWest USA's Loan's loss experience was published by The RMA Journal, and received recognition from the Office of the Comptroller of Currency. She worked with Rutgers Business School as a Fellow of Department of Accounting, Business Ethics and Information Systems on risk assurance and Enterprise Risk Management issues. She has held senior positions at Bank of America, Bear Stearns, BB&T Bank, IBM Global Services, Fleet/NatWest Bank and Chase Manhattan Bank. She has developed the executive education program Chakravyuhu, also known as the Labyrinth, a program for mentoring women in India and the U.S. to make the "step change" in their careers in the global corporate world. She previously taught organizational management and Diversity at Rutgers Graduate School of Business.

White House Appointment

Bhargava was appointed to President Obama's Inaugural Advisory Council in April 2009. Bhargava "a Livingston community leader has made her way onto the national stage and works on panel for President Obama". Shortly thereafter Bhargava founded a pioneering Hindu American organization advancing sevā, interfaith collaboration, pluralism, social justice and sustainable civic engagement to ignite grassroots social change and build healthy communities. As stated in May 2023, By Religion News Service, "Bhargava is among a rising cohort of American Hindu leaders becoming more public about their spirituality. They're inspired by the Hindu concept of "seva" — selfless service."

As the only member of eastern tradition on the council, she brought to the White House more awareness of the issues facing the Dharmic communities. She saw a need for greater integration of America's cultural and religious diversity and leveraging their skills to strengthen America domestically and globally Hence, along with the Council recommendations, with the HASC team, she wrote a community assessment report “Call to Serve” and presented it to the President and Senior Administration officials. She served on the Department of Homeland Security’s Faith-based Advisory Council and assisted the President's Interfaith Campus Challenge (Department of Education).

Bhargava played the central role in co-hosting four conferences with the White House to energize Dharmic Seva. She developed tools for a faith-based, in-culture approach to development for the Hindu/Dharmic community to serve, such as UtsavSeva. This approach has received widespread support from key spiritual leaders, including the Dalai Lama, Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Mata Amritanandamayi, ISKCON, Chinmaya Mission and others. In this interview with Georgetown University's Berkeley Center, Bhargava discusses her perspectives on Hindu identity and social justice and describes the work of Hindu American Seva Communities.

Prior Community Building Experience

Community Builder Fellow

Bhargava was the only Indian-American to serve in the Community Builder Fellowship, President Clinton's White House initiative (1998–2000). During this time, she conducted the 1st study of Asian American immigrants needs in New Jersey which became the foundation for many government and community organizations programs (2000). She was an advisor to Community Foundation NJ which brought diverse parents (the New Americans) in Elizabeth and Jersey City together to breakdown cultural barriers. She educated diverse communities on HUD programs and worked to identify ways to empower communities, increase affordable housing and homeownership, reduce homelessness, promote jobs and economic opportunity and fight for fair housing. She was recognized by the Partnership for New Jersey and Governor Whitman.

Asian Indian Women in America (AIWAUSA)

Anju Bhargava was one of the founding members of the 1st Indian women's organization in North America formed in 1981 to create a voice and support for the new immigrants settling in their adopted country, USA. In 1985, AIWAUSA supported the formation of Manavi, the 1st shelter for victims of domestic violence as its own chapter. AIWAUSA's founding members, including Bhargava, attended the 1st briefing of Asian Women in 1983, when President Reagan recognized Asian American women as a constituency. With the City of New York, AIWAUSA played a key role in co-organizing the 1st job fair for underserved communities in 1986.

The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, published Sitayanam: A Woman’s Journey of Strength as part of a collection addressing the nexus of women, religion, and the family.

Asian Indians in Livingston

Recognizing the importance of integration, Bhargava formed Asian Indians in Livingston in 1981 to integrate celebrate our own cultural/ethnic identities and also to become part of the fabric of the larger community. She was the 1st Indian American in Livingston to participate in the political process. She was the 1st Hindu to become part of Livingston's Interfaith Clergy Association and served as a Chaplain at St. Barnabas Hospital. She advised Livingston Township, Board of Education, Clergy in developing diversity and inclusion strategies to integrate global, multicultural residents while enhancing the Township's image and resulting property values.

Other Community Based Initiatives

1. She has organized community-based affinity groups (the first networking forum for South Asians in Corporate America – 1988–1995) and has created a language and cultural education infrastructure to facilitate adaptation and integration.
2. Worked with Asia Society to form Leadership Initiatives for South Asian American Women in 1998.
3. In 2006, she initiated Utsava, the 1st Festival of India in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, an event linked with Winston-Salem's strategic direction to revitalize downtown and enhance bio-science workforce development, and with North Carolina's global education vision and goals for school children. The Indian community provided an in-culture, first hand, global education to the people of Winston-Salem; the world in America.
4. She was a founding member of NJ Corporate Diversity Network, an initiative formed with Partnership for New Jersey to "maximize effectiveness of diversity initiatives to enhance business results and positively affect our communities and the economy".

Vedantic Teacher/Hindu Chaplain

Bhargava is a Vedantic teacher and an ordained Hindu minister/Chaplain. She strives to combine philosophy and practice from a contemporary view and is active in interfaith collaboration.

Recognition

Anju Bhargava was on the board of trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, and the Odyssey Network.

Bhargava has frequently blogged for the Huffington Post and the Washington Post. She is a frequent speaker at many forums, including The Conference Board, Universities, Corporations, Risk & Regulation.

In 2011, the Huffington Post named Bhargava was one of 10 Inspiring Women Religious Leaders. In recognition of her contribution, in 2012 Bhargava was invited to introduce Vice President Biden at the White House Diwali event.