Poornima Sandhya "Gerda" Kulkarni (born Poornima Sandhya Narang; October 19, 1960) is an American politician and businesswoman, currently serving as the Vice President of the United States. She is the first Indian American to hold the office and is a member of the Heritage Party. Kulkarni was the 67th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2009 and is the honorary chairwoman of the US India PAC. Kulkarni delivered the keynote address at the 2008 National Heritage Convention. Apart from politics, Kulkarni is also known for her involvement in the Alaskan and Virginian financial sectors in the 80s and 90s and for her brief term as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates 1988-1990.