33-year-old Ali Zaidi is presently serving as New York’s deputy secretary for energy and environment. He will be the highest ranking Pakistani-American in the Biden government.
Taking to Twitter, Zaidi said that he was ‘deeply honoured’ by his appointment and was ready to ‘get to work’. Zaidi added that he was floored when President-elect Joe Biden called. “I still am — profoundly humbled, deeply honoured, and so ready to get to work!,” he wrote on Twitter.
Joe Biden’s transition team issued a press release announcing his appointment. Zaidi has been described as “a leading climate expert and longtime advisor to the president-elect.” The statement also said that he helped draft and implement the Obama-Biden administration’s Climate Action Plan and negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement.