U.S. Senate approved Dandekar for ambassador post

CEDAR RAPIDS - The nomination of Swati Dandekar of Marion, a former Iowa state legislator, to serve as executive director with the Asian Development Bank was approved by the U.S. Senate Tuesday evening.

Dandekar was nominated by President Barack Obama to the post, which carries the rank of ambassador. Her nomination was approved on a voice vote, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley's office.

The Asian Development Bank, with headquarters in Metro Manila, Philippines, was established in August 1966 to facilitate economic development in Asia. It is a regional development bank with 67 members, of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.

Dandekar, 65, has a long record of public service as a Linn-Mar school volunteer and school board member from 1996 to 2002. She was a member of the Iowa Association of School Boards from 2000-02. From 2000-03, Dandekar was a member of the Vision Iowa board of directors.

Dandekar served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2002-08 and the Iowa Senate from 2009-11. She resigned to accept an appointment to the Iowa Utilities Board from 2011-13.

Dandekar also ran in the 2014 primary for the Democratic nomination in Iowa's U.S. House 1st District.

Dandekar, was traveling Tuesday evening and unavailable for comment. At the time of her nomination in November, she hoped to work on energy and infrastructure issues in the region and work with non-governmental organization 'to make sure they understand what the United States is doing with them.”

Dandekar, a native of India, received a bachelor of science from Nagpur University and a postgraduate diploma from Bombay University. She and her husband, Arvind, have two adult sons.