Washington, Jan 27 Virginia's Republican Governor-elect Bob McDonnell has appointed his close friend and long-time fundraiser Dr Kamlesh Dave to his transition team for economic development.

Dave, a cardiologist practicing in Chester, Virginia, a suburb of the state capital of Richmond, is the first Indian American to be inducted into the governor-elect's inner circle of advisers.

Born and raised in Ahmedabad Dave is a leading community and social activist. He was recently unanimously elected president of the new Republican Indian Committee, a political action committee.

Dave migrated to the US in 1980 and did his internship and residency at Cornell University in New York and lived and worked in Manhattan and parts of New Jersey for several years.

After moving to Richmond, he has served as chief of medicine and chief of staff at South Side Regional Medical Centre. He now serves as a board member of the State Health Research Board (HRB) of Virginia.

Until last year, he was the HRB's vice-chairman. He has also served as a board member of the Workmen Compensation Medical Board of Virginia.

Dave was an elected delegate from the fourth Congressional District to the Republican National Convention in 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dave is also a director on the board of a local bank, First Capital Bank, Virginia, which is traded on NASDAQ and has served as a board member of the America Land Fund.