Nimrata Nikki Randhawa commonly known as Nikki Haley is the current and youngest governor in the United States. She is a reknowned politician who has served South Carolina since 2011 as the 116th Governor. She represented the House of Representatives of Lexington County in the South Carolina from 2005 to 2011. In South Carolina, at the age of 44, she is the first woman Governor. After Bobby Jindlof Louisiana, she is the second woman American Governor in United States.
Early Life
Before joining politics, Haley worked for a recycling and waste management company, FCR Corporation. Later she joined Exotica International which was her mother’s business. She helped the family business grow successfully and made it a multimillion-dollar company in 1994. Haley was named to the board of directors twice in 1998 and 2003 respectively for Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce and Lexington Chamber of Commerce. In 2003, she became the treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners and the president of the same the year next.
Family
Parents
Haley was born, to an Indian Sikh family, on January 20, 1972 in Bamberg, South Carolina. Her parents, Raj Kaur Randhawa and Ajit Singh Randhawa were immigrants from Amritsar (Punjab), India. Her father Ajit had been a professor at Punjab Agricultural University and immigrated to Canada after he received a scholarship offer from Columbia University. After completing his PHD degree, Ajit moved to South Carolina when he was offered a job of a professor at Voorhees College in 1969.
Haley has three siblings, two brothers and a sister. Her brother Mitti is a retired member of the United States Army, and the other brother Charan is a web designer. Hanley’s sister Simran, a radio jockey is an alumna in Fashion Institute of Technology.
Husband and Children
Nikki Haley is married to an officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard, Michael Haley. They got married in 1996 and have two children, Rena and Nalin. Both Sikh and Christian ceremonies were performed during their marriage. She considers herself as a Christian today, and also raises their two children with the same religious ideology. Yet she continues to participate in Sikh culture which was her original roots and was seen speaking at a new Gurdwara in 2013.
Career
On November 2, 2012 Haley was elected Governor of South Carolina. She served four-year long term in office when she was re-elected in 2014.
Haley did not declare a run although she was considered a possible presidential candidate in 2016.
As a governor, Haley focussed on improving the state’s business circumstances and jobs. She has also dutifully worked on issues like Medicaid reform, Pension reform, and Immigration reform. She stressed on tax cuts for small businesses, voter ID law and the creation of the office of general inspector. She is a very successful Governor. Haley was ranked the 21 among the most conservative governor in the country in the New York Times in April 2013.
Annual Income
Haley’s annual income is approximately $106,078.