Dr. Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

Joy Cherian is the first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

and first

Indian American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...

Commissioner at the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (

EEOC The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

). Joy Cherian was appointed as the Commissioner at the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (

) by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, which was seen as a milestone. At the time, he was the highest ranking Indian American in the US government. Appointed by a Republican, but showing true unity of Indian Americans across political boundaries, the Indo-American Democratic Organization lobbied for his re-appointment in 1991. After serving his time as commissioner, he founded and was President of a consulting firm, J. Cherian Consultants, Inc. (JCC) and did speaking engagements for organizations such as the GOPIO.

Background

Joy Cherian was born 18 May 1942, in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

State,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He completed his matriculation studies from Sacred Heart High School,

Thevara Thevara is a place in central Kochi in Kerala, India. Location Geography Thevara is part of the mainland Kochi and marks its south-west boundary. It is connected to the water-bound West Kochi via bridges. Thevara is a link to Thevara Ferry ...

and graduated from the

University of Kerala University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...

State, India (B.A., 1963; Bachelor of Law, 1965);

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

(M.A., 1970; Ph.D., 1974); and

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

(M.C.L., 1978). He was noted for his diligence and exemplary academic performance even from his high school days. Joy Cherian is married, has two children, and resides in Wheaton, MD.

Achievements

His first book, ''Investment Contracts and Arbitration'' (1975), is used as a reference resource in graduate school libraries in the United States and abroad. ''Our Relay Race'' (1997), his second book, reflects his public and community service. Scores of his papers, articles and speeches on various subjects have been published around the world. Joy Cherian is credited with the formation of several committees of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

(ABA), including the Committee on International Insurance Law and the Committee on International Employment Law of the ABA's Section of International Law and Practice. He chaired these Committees from 1983 to 1987 and 1988 to 1992, respectively. For a decade, he served as president of the American Council for Trade in Services (ACTS), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit service industry trade association (1994-2004). He was awarded India Abroad Lifetime Achievement Award by

India Abroad ''India Abroad'' is a weekly newspaper published from New York City, which focuses on Indian news meant for an Indian American, Indian diaspora and expatriate audience. The publication is known for its annual award ceremony for the "India Abroad P ...

for his service to the community in 2007. He is also the recipient of

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian Honour/Award) is the highest Indian award for Non-resident Indian and Overseas Citizen of India or an organisation or institution established and run by Non-Resident Indians or Persons of Indian Orig ...

Award by the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...

for outstanding contributions to home country in 2008

References

External links

Keynote Address by Joy Cherian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cherian, Joy 1942 births Equal Employment Opportunity Commission members George Washington University Law School alumni Catholic University of America alumni Indian emigrants to the United States American people of Malayali descent Living people University of Kerala alumni Politicians from Kochi American politicians of Indian descent Recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman