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Dr. Thomas Abraham is the chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), a worldwide organisation founded in 1989 looking after the interests of people of Indian origin (PIO) living outside India.
Dr Abraham’s involvement in the Indian American community started in 1975 when he was elected as the president of Indian Club of Columbia University. Since then, he has never looked back, serving the overseas Indian communities for the past 34 years.
He founded many non-profit community institutions in America and served as the first president of the Federation of Indian Associations
(FIA) of New York from 1976-81 and the National Federation of Indian American Associations
(NFIA) from 1980-88. While Dr Abraham remains famous for kickstarting the diaspora’s influence with GOPIO in 1989, he wears many hats. He is a founder trustee of the Indian American Kerala Center in New York. Dr Abraham also served as the co-chairman of the fund raising campaign to institute a chair for Indian studies at Columbia University. Two other groups initiated by him are the National Indian American Association for Senior Citizens
(NIAASC) and the South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS).
Dr Abraham was presented with the Bharatvanshi Gaurav (Person of Indian Origin Pride) award by former vice-president of India Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on January 4, 2008 and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian
Honour) award by Indian president Pratibha Patil on January 9, 2008 for his outstanding service to the Indian communities worldwide and India. Dr Abraham was also presented with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by Malaviya National Institutee of Technology in November 2008.
| Dr Abraham founded many non-profit community institutions in America and served as the first president of the Federation of Indian Associations of New York from 1976-81 and the National Federation of Indian American Associations |
A graduate of Columbia University, Dr Abraham is a materials scientist and nanotechnologist by profession. He is president of Innovative Research and Products (iRAP), Inc, a leading industry and market research firm based in Stamford, Connecticut. His wife Dr Susy Abraham is an internist and geriatrician at Sarah Neuman Center for Healthcare in Mamaroneck. They have a daughter Nitya, a resident in urology at NYU School of Medicine, and son Jay, a mechanical engineer with Pratt and Whitney.
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