Ro Khanna, a San Francisco lawyer who once ran for Congress, has been named to the U.S. Commerce Department. Among his duties will be opening foreign markets to American technology and leading trade missions to China and India.

“I look forward to working to strengthen American competitiveness, increase exports and create good-paying jobs here at home,” he said in a statement.

Khanna is expected to report to Francisco ‘Frank´ Sanchez, Obama’s nominee for Under Secretary for International Trade at the Department of Commerce. Sanchez is up for Congressional confirmation in the fall.

Khanna will oversee 109 US Export Assistance Centers operating in 47 different states.

Since his loss in 2004 to Congressman Tom Lantos, Khanna has remained active in Democratic party politics. Most recently, he was the chair of the Indo-American Council of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

According to this article in the San Jose Mercury News, the appointment speaks to the maturation of the community's political might:

The valley's Indo-American community, which includes tech industry movers and shakers, has long been tapped for financial support by the national Republican and Democratic parties. Some local ethnic Indians see Khanna's appointment as a sign the community is moving beyond writing checks.

"We have done well in business. We have done well in finance, entrepreneurship and at being professors," said valley venture capitalist and entrepreneur Kanwal Rekhi. "The two areas left are Hollywood and Washington, D.C. We can't leave any territory uncovered."

Khanna, he added, "is a very sharp guy. Ro understands the entrepreneurial culture and the engine of American innovation and job creation."

I've met Ro a few times at various Democratic functions. I never had a long talk with him, but I definitely got the sense that he was a rising star. Let's hope this is another step for bigger and better things for him.