Tandon, Ritesh

Running For:

U.S. Representative

District:

17

Political Affiliation:

Republican

Phone:

(408) 623-2623

Age:

49

Occupation:

CEO

Education:

Masters in Computer Engineering, Masters in Business Administration

Biographical Info:

The grandson of a freedom fighter, Ritesh Tandon was instilled with an appreciation for freedom and independence. This would lead him to The United States of America at age 28, where he attended Santa Clara University in pursuit of a Master’s degree in Computer engineering. Later, Ritesh Tandon completed his second Master’s in Business Administration from the same university. While attending Santa Clara University, Ritesh met Zurica Dhar, a fellow computer engineer. They were married in 2001 and made the Bay Area their home. After two decades in the Silicon Valley, Indian-American engineer and businessman, Ritesh Tandon, is running for Congress in the South Bay. He has built a successful career in technology while simultaneously being leader by helping others through his work with nonprofits. Recently, Tandon has been conducting research at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business as a Garwood Innovation Fellow. His research topic is “How to Revive California’s Economy Using Open Innovation”. He also continues as the CEO of Kricel Corporation, which he founded after working in engineering and marketing at Cisco and GN. Tandon says, “Over two decades ago, I immigrated to this country as a student searching for the American Dream. I found it here, in the heart of our Bay Area. I believe this community is the greatest in our nation, and it angers me to see the Washington, D.C. elite ignore our values of strong family devotion and hard work. It will be my top priority to represent you, not entrenched party bosses.” “As a former President of a non-profit, I see how many Bay Area families are struggling to make ends meet. As a father, I know the $23-trillion national debt is stealing our children’s future. As an independent, small businessman, I understand the crushing burden of job-killing regulations.” Professionally, Ritesh Tandon worked on unified communications products for Cisco, starting with engineering and continuing with technical marketing. Then, he managed strategic alliances for Jabra, which makes audio devices. Currently, Ritesh is the CEO of the Kricel Corporation. At the same time, Ritesh served as an executive committee member of Sankara Eye Foundation, which has established nine hospitals to eradicate curable blindness. He raised millions of dollars for the hospitals and helped select the site for one of them. He also served as a volunteer, and later on, the president of UPMA, an organization which supports education and childcare of poor kids, for five years. Ritesh Tandon is running for Congressman in CA District 17, which has not changed much as a result of redistricting. It includes Fremont, Milpitas, Alviso, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino. He is challenging incumbent, Ro Khanna, who is serving as a national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ campaign. As a father of two wonderful children, Ritesh is always seeking to make his community better for his family and others. Seeing a lack of representation of our values in Washington, D.C., Ritesh is seeking to serve the Bay Area in Congress. Ritesh will fight for all of our communities and ensure the residents of the 17th Congressional District have a voice in Washington, D.C.

Statement:

My grandfather Kanhaiyalal Tandon fought for the independence of India. Because of his experience, I grew up with an appreciation for the freedom we have here in the US. Too often, politicians take for granted our freedom in America. They have no historical context and do not realize our forefathers' gift. As your Congressman, I will never forget the gift of liberty, nor will I eschew my role as your public servant. I would be honored to serve this community in Congress and proud to fight for you in Washington, D.C. I can help bring change. I can lead, I can make tough decisions, and I can get things done. It will be a great honor to receive your vote and serve you. Education: M.S. in Computer Engineering & an MBA from Santa Clara University Work: Twenty-plus years of working experience for technology companies in the Bay Area.