Dino Teppara
ContributorDino Teppara is an attorney and former Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC). He is the first Indian American to ever serve as Chief of Staff and Counsel to a Member of Congress. He served on congressional staff for seven years and previously served as a law clerk to a well-respected state appellate judge. <br /> <br /> He serves as Chairman of the Indian American Republican Council, a national nonprofit organization consisting of Americans who trace their heritage to India and Americans who seek to promote center-right policies in the Indian American community. He has worked on 10 high-profile political campaigns around the country including both of Governor Bobby Jindal’s statewide campaigns in Louisiana. His writings have been published in the Washington Post, Washington Times, Roll Call, The Hill and he has appeared on several local newscasts and CNN International. He is the first Indian American to ever address the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), in a speech opposing illegal immigration to more than 4,000 people that was nationally televised.<br /> <br /> He attended the University of Nebraska on a tennis scholarship and received his B.A. in 1997 with a major in Philosophy and minor in English. He received his J.D. from Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington in 2000. He will also receive an Officer Commission later this year, making him the only Indian American Public Affairs Officer in the United States Navy.