On 26 June 2008 the White House announced the President's appointment of fourteen White House Fellows, including Sarita James, a Saïd Business School alumna. The Fellows are selected by the President's Commission on White House Fellowships, to participate in America's most prestigious fellowship program for leadership development and public service.

Sarita is Senior Vice President of the 50-person Strategy and Policy Division at New York City Economic Development Corporation. Prior to NYCEDC, Sarita worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company, where she advised clients in the technology and telecommunications industries.

Sarita's humor writing has appeared in the New York Times, and she has received a first offer on her upcoming memoir, Indian in Indiana: Adventures of a Misfit from America's Heartland. Sarita spent a formative summer volunteering with Mother Teresa's orphanage in Kolkata and serves on the board of Ankur Kala, a Kolkata-based women's non-profit. She received a BA in Computer Science from Harvard College and her MBA from Oxford University's Saïd Business School.

The White House Fellows Program, founded in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, offers exceptional men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. Fellows participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with leaders from the private and public sectors and study trips to examine US policy in action. Following the Fellowship year, the Fellows repay the privilege by contributing to the country as better national leaders and public servants.

The Program has fostered leaders in many fields, including Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, former CNN President Tom Johnson, United Nations Foundation President and Former US Senator Timothy Wirth, former Supreme Allied Commander for Europe Wesley K. Clark, US Senator Samuel Brownback, and US Representative Joe L. Barton.