Timothy J Roemer new US envoy to India

President Barack Obama has nominated Timothy J Roemer, a former Democrat Congressman from Indiana and a member of 9/11 commission, as the new US Ambassador to India.

The announcement in this regard was made by the White House late Wednesday night along with a dozen diplomatic posts, including nomination of Patricia A Butenis as the new US Ambassador to Sri Lanka.

'I am grateful that these distinguished Americans have agreed to help represent the United States and strengthen our partnerships abroad at this critical time for our nation and the world. I am confident they will advance American diplomacy as we work to meet the challenges of the 21st century,' Obama said in a statement referring to a host of ambassadorial appointments.

Presently, Roemer is the president of the Centre for National Policy (CNP) -- a Washington-based think tank.

Before joining CNP, he represented the 3rd District of Indiana for six terms as a US Congressman, from 1991 to 2003. He was appointed as a member of the 9/11 Commission, investigating the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, by former President George W Bush.

Roemer was also in the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism, a bi-partisan commission created by Congress to examine how the US can best address this threat to the country's national security.

In addition, he serves on the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Presidential Task Force on Combating the Ideology of Radical Extremism, and the National Parks Second Century Commission.

As a Distinguished Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Congressman Roemer works with Members of Congress and staff to improve public policy outcomes by teaching on the legislative branch and policy analysis.

Roemer holds a Bachelor of Art Degree from the University of California, San Diego and a Masters of Art and Ph D from the University of Notre Dame.