by Colin McEwen
Reporter
Stow -- From Stow to the White House.
That's the journey Stow native Neel Kashkari took after leaving his parents' Berkshire Road residence.
Kashkari recently was nominated by President George W. Bush to become the assistant secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, according to a White House press release.
"We are so proud of him," his mother Shelia Kashkari said. "I pray for him to do the right thing."
A Treasury Department spokesperson said Kashkari could not comment while the nomination and confirmation process takes place.
Kashkari's nomination still must be approved by the U.S. Senate.
Kashkari attended Stow-Munroe Falls schools until he transferred to the Western Reserve Academy, following his sister Meera's footsteps. He graduated in 1991.
Kashkari then went on to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to earn his bachelor's degree in engineering, before receiving his master's degree, also in engineering.
Feeling like he wanted a change of pace, and wanting to learn more about finance, Kashkari attended Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and earned his master's degree in 1997, said Neel's father Chaman Kashkari.
"The whole idea was to combine engineering with finance," said Chaman Kashkari. "He told me the country needed people who have a good concept of engineering and a good concept of finance."
After finishing his degree at Wharton, Kashkari went to work for Goldman-Sachs in New York City, where he worked closely with the chairman and chief executive officer of the company, Henry Paulson.
When Paulson became the 74th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, he asked Kashkari to join him in Washington D.C., to serve as a Treasury Department adviser -- a post he is currently serving.
Chaman Kashkari said he came to this country from Kashmir, India, before his son was born.
"This country has given to us and given a lot," he said. "I'm very happy that [Neel] can do something extra special. I'm very happy that Stow has the environment to produce people who do something special."
Editor's note: McEwen is a reporter for the Stow Sentry.
E-mail: cmcewen@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-686-3916