Mansoor Qureshi becomes the first Pakistani American to serve as an adviser to a Virginia governor after Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed him to the Virginia Asian Advisory Board (VAAB).

“I look forward to working with Governor Youngkin and my fellow board members to address the needs of our diverse communities and strengthen ties with Asian nations,” Qureshi said to Geo News.

The newly-appointed adviser will support Youngkin in strengthening Virginia’s economic and cultural relationships with several Asian countries.

Qureshi’s priorities include commerce, trade, art, education and government policies, especially ones that may affect Virginia’s AAPI community, according to MM News.

Qureshi also said that despite Muslims, Indians and Pakistanis in Virginia being one of the most educated and economically influential groups, they are not politically active. To bridge this gap, the VAAB member plans to encourage the communities to be more involved.

Forging economic ties is also a goal for Qureshi, who wants to strengthen relations between Richmond and Islamabad.

Originally from Nawabshah, Pakistan, Qureshi moved to the United States in 2001, where he studied at Georgetown University before quitting the program to focus on his cancer diagnosis. Now cancer-free, Qureshi has worked in IT, entrepreneurship and staffing and recruitment. He also became involved in American politics for more than a decade.

Qureshi was recently involved in Juan Pablo Segura’s campaign, who ran for a seat on the Virginia Senate. The campaign was memorable for its events that featured Pakistani cuisine, which helped mobilize South Asian communities.

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