The Guwahati boy, son of the late Dhiren Baruah and Rani Baruah, was a management consultant with the Oregon-based Performance Consulting Group before he decided to join the Government. He is an MBA from Willamettte University and graduated from University of Oregon.

Currently heading the Economic Development Administration at the Department of Commerce, Baruah, ‘Sandy’ for his colleagues, caught the White House’s attention with his sterling performance in the administration where he was involved in a number of path-breaking decisions. He was instrumental in guiding the shutting down of a number of US military bases abroad.