[1]

BOSTON - An Indian American woman became the first minority to be appointed the Massachusetts Commissioner of Revenue in January.

Attorney Navjeet Bal, 44, who was born in Kenya to Punjabi parents and immigrated to the United States 30 years ago, will assume her duties as the state's Commissioner of Revenue at the end of January.

She will also be the second woman to hold this post, according to the spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Bob Bliss. The last time the state had a female commissioner of Revenue was between 1978 and 1982, he said.

Bliss said he has no way of finding out if Bal is the first immigrant to hold the post.

The commissioner of Revenue is the head of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, which has approximately 2,200 employees. Bal will manage the entire department that is responsible for income, corporate, and sales tax returns in the state.

"I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to represent the Commonwealth in this way," Bal said, when asked how she feels about being the first non-white person to serve as Massachusetts Commissioner of Revenue. "I think it's part of a larger message that the folks who work up here on Beacon Hill do represent all of the state."

Bal was appointed by the state's first female Administration and Finance Secretary, Leslie Kirwan, and Gov. Deval Patrick approved the appointment. Bal noted that Patrick is "very up front" and "very clear" about his desire to see more minorities in leadership positions.

She will serve as the commissioner until Patrick or a future governor appoints someone else to the position, she said.

Prior to her appointment, Bal served as the senior deputy commissioner in the Department of Revenue since September - occupying the second highest rank in the department. She holds a law degree from Northeastern University, and has practiced law for 17 years in Boston, working in the field of debt financing for universities, hospitals and the state.

Bal said she feels "very sad" about the political turmoil in Kenya right now, but remains optimistic that things will sort themselves out.

"I think they'll figure it out. There are a lot of well-meaning people there now, I'm sure they'll come to a good resolution," she said.

Bal left Kenya when she was 2, but returned there often to visit her grandparents until age 11. She used to speak Swahili but has since forgotten the East African language. Her family moved out of Africa in the 1970s.
"It's a beautiful part of the world, [but] this is really home now," she said.

Bal lives in Belmont with her two children, who are 14 and 11.

Source: IndiaNewEngland.com [2]

Copyright 2008 New England Ethnic News, EthnicNewz.org. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express permission of the news source. Contact Newz for more information.