Who is she? Soon after the White House released the guest list for the state dinner for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Google search began registering hits for Seema Sadanandan.
And when she walked in with Ashley Biden, the US President's daughter, Google searches for Sadanandan surged, with a spike late into the night and early morning.
Who is this woman with the President's daughter?
Sadanandan is an Indian American lawyer in AWashington DC. She describes herself on her LinkedIn page as a "lawyer and seasoned campaign strategist" and she indicates her field of expertise is "Strategy and Public Policy Consulting - Criminal Justice Reform and Racial Equity".
Sadanandan worked on Biden's election campaign in 2020 as a senior policy adviser, leaving in December after Biden's election. But as is the practice for campaign staff, she did not join the administration.
Before joining Biden's election campaign, Sadanandan was Managing Director of Government Affairs/State Campaigns Managing Director of Government Affairs/State Campaigns with the Alliance for Safety and Justice, which describes itself as a multi-state organisation that aims to replace over-incarceration with more effective public safety solutions rooted in crime prevention, community health, rehabilitation and support for crime victims.
She was earlier with American Civil Liberties Union of the Nation's Capital (ACLU-NCA) as criminal justice director; and for two years she worked in Karnataka as an agricultural workers labor union organizer with Jagrutha Mahila Sanghatane.
Sadanandan studied law at the American University in Washington DC and sociology at the Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.