About Ritesh Tandon
26 Years of Bay Area Service. A Lifetime Commitment to Our Community.
For 26 years, I have proudly called the Bay Area home and served this community as a volunteer, and my commitment to public service is deeply rooted in my family’s history: my grandfather, Kanhaiyalal Tandon, fought for India’s independence, and because of his sacrifice, I grew up understanding that freedom is never free—it is earned, protected, and passed from one generation to the next; too many politicians in America take liberty for granted and forget the history, struggle, and courage of those who came before us, but as your Congressman, I will always put the Constitution first, defend our founding principles, protect your freedoms, and uphold the rule of law every time without compromise, and I will honor that legacy by serving with integrity, putting our community first, and fighting for the Bay Area every day in Washington, D.C.
Ritesh Tandon
The grandson of a freedom fighter, Ritesh Tandon was instilled with an appreciation for freedom and independence. This led him to the United States of America at age 28, where he attended Santa Clara University in pursuit of a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering. Later, Ritesh Tandon completed his second Master's in Business Administration from the same university. While attending Santa Clara University, Ritesh met Zurica Dhar, a fellow computer engineer. They were married in 2001 and made the Bay Area their home.
After two decades in Silicon Valley, Indian-American engineer and businessman Ritesh Tandon is running for Congress in the South Bay. He has built a successful career in technology while simultaneously being a leader by helping others through his work with nonprofits.
Recently, Tandon has been conducting research; his research topic is ‘How to Revive California’s Economy Using Open Innovation.' He also continues as the CEO of Kricel Corporation, which he founded after working in engineering and marketing at Cisco and GN.
Tandon says, ‘Over two decades ago, I immigrated to this country as a student searching for the American Dream. I found it here, in the heart of our Bay Area. I believe this community is the greatest in our nation, and it angers me to see the Washington, D.C., elite ignore our values of strong family devotion and hard work. It will be my top priority to represent you, not entrenched party bosses.'
‘As the President of a nonprofit, I see how many Bay Area families are struggling to make ends meet. As a father, I know the $35.3 trillion national debt is stealing our children’s future. As an independent, small businessman, I understand the crushing burden of job-killing regulations.'
Professionally, Ritesh Tandon worked on unified communications products for Cisco, starting with engineering and continuing with technical marketing. Then, he managed strategic alliances for Jabra, which makes audio devices. Currently, Ritesh is the CEO of Kricel Corporation.
At the same time, Ritesh is the president of UPMA, a nonprofit organization that supports the education and childcare of poor kids. In the past, he served as an executive committee member of the Sankara Eye Foundation, which has established eighteen hospitals to eradicate curable blindness. He raised millions of dollars for the hospitals and helped select the site for one of them. Ritesh is a board member of the nonprofit organization ‘Smart Village Movement' in alliance with UC Berkeley. Ritesh worked for the Latino community in the Bay Area, fighting for their rights, as many of them don’t speak English.
Ritesh Tandon is running for Congress in CA District 17, which has not changed much as a result of redistricting. It includes Fremont (up to Grimmer and below), Milpitas, Alviso, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, San Jose (north), and Cupertino. He is challenging the incumbent, Ro Khanna, who served as a national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ campaign.
As a father of two wonderful children, Ritesh is always seeking to make his community better for his family and others. Seeing a lack of representation of our values in Washington, D.C., Ritesh is seeking to serve the Bay Area in Congress. Ritesh will fight for all of our communities and ensure the residents of the 17th Congressional District have a voice in Washington, D.C.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives write and vote on federal laws, including the federal budget. Each represents one district and serves a two-year term. Tax bills must start in the House, only the House can impeach federal officials, and members oversee federal agencies through their committees.