Gerda Kulkarni (Freiheit USA)

[ Poornima Sandhya "Gerda" Kulkarni (born Poornima Sandhya Narang; October 19, 1960) is an American politician and businesswoman, currently serving as the Vice President of the United States. She is the first Indian American to hold the office and is a member of the Heritage Party. Kulkarni was the 67th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2009 and is the honorary chairwoman of the US India PAC. Kulkarni delivered the keynote address at the 2008 National Heritage Convention. Apart from politics, Kulkarni is also known for her involvement in the Alaskan and Virginian financial sectors in the 80s and 90s and for her brief term as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates 1988-1990.

In 2010 she was widely expected to pursue the Heritage Party nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential elections; however, she announced in October 2010 that he would not run, citing the recent decision with her husband, who is infertile, to adopt and raise a child. Kulkarni was considered to be a potential vice presidential candidate but was widely expected to refuse entering the office, surprising political pundits when she agreed to take on the Heritage Party nomination under presidential candidate Guido Strohkirch.

Kulkarni was born in Newport News, Virginia and moved with her family to Anchorage, Alaska at the age of 7. She attended the College of Business and Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage before completing her MBA at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College.