Successive Kalöns

Ms. Pema Tso (June 2, 2026 – Present)

02/06/2026
Ms. Pema Tso is a Tibetan journalist, writer, public servant, and elected representative who has devoted many years to serving the Tibetan community. Born in Barkham, Tibet, in 1986, she received her early education in Tibet before pursuing Tibetan–Chinese translation studies. After arriving in exile in 2006, she worked in Tibetan…

Mr. Penpa Tsering (May 27, 2021 – May 26, 2026)

27/05/2021
26/05/2026
Mr. Penpa Tsering was born in 1967 at Bylakuppee, south India. He studied at the Central School for Tibetans, Bylakuppe and topped the merit list in Class XII. He graduated with Economics Major from the Madras Christian College, Chennai. His work experience includes running a private export enterprise and a restaurant.…

Mr. Choechong Wangchuk (June 1, 2016 – May 26, 2021)

01/06/2016
26/05/2021
Mr. Choekyong Wangchuk is a distinguished Tibetan public servant who has devoted many years to the service of the Tibetan people and the Central Tibetan Administration. Born in Kalimpong in 1971, he served in various capacities, including as Coordinator of the India Tibet Coordination Office, Executive Director of the Tibetan Parliamentary…

Dr. Tsering Wangchuk (September 16, 2011 – May 30, 2016)

16/09/2011
30/05/2016
Dr. Tsering Wangchuk is a distinguished Tibetan physician and public servant who served as Kalön of the Department of Health, CTA from 16th September 2011 to 30th May 2016. During his tenure, he contributed significantly to strengthening the Tibetan healthcare system, with particular emphasis on preventive healthcare, health information systems, and…

Dr. Lobsang Sangey (August 8, 2011 – September 15, 2011)

08/08/2011
15/09/2011
Dr. Lobsang Sangay was born in Darjeeling, India in 1968, with a typical Shichak (settlement) background amidst fields, cows and chickens, fetching wood from the forest and helping his parents’ small business, including selling sweaters. In 1995, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Harvard Law School, where he subsequently…

Mr. Paljor Tsering (November 29, 2007 – August 8, 2011)

29/11/2007
08/08/2011
Mr. Paljor Tsering Chope is a distinguished Tibetan public servant who devoted more than three decades to the service of the Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan people. He joined the CTA in 1973 and subsequently served in various capacities, including senior positions in the Department of Education and as the…

Mrs. Takla Kelsang Yangkyi (May 26, 2007 – November 28, 2007)

26/05/2007
28/11/2007
Mrs. Kelsang Yangkyi Takla was a distinguished Tibetan public servant who devoted several decades to the service of the Tibetan people and the Central Tibetan Administration. She began her government service in the early 1980s and served as Secretary of the Department of Health from 1983 to 1989, contributing to the…

Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche (August 15, 2006 – May 25, 2007)

15/08/2006
25/05/2007
Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche was born in 1939 in Jol, in eastern Tibet. At the age of four, he was admitted in Yangchen Phuntsokling Monastery. At the age of five, he was recognised, according to Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of the 4th Samdhong Rinpoche and enthroned in Gaden Dechenling Monastery at…

Mr. Thupten Lungrig (March 7, 2005 – August 14, 2006)

07/03/2005
14/08/2006
Mr. Thupten Lungrig, born on May 19, 1957 in Rebkong, Amdo, He attended the Central School for Tibetans in Dalhousie from 1963 to 1972. He did his higher education from the Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi from 1972 to 1981. In 1981, he finished his studies and obtained his…

Mr. Lobsang Nyandak Zayul (September 20, 2001 – March 6, 2005)

20/09/2001
06/03/2005
Mr. Lobsang Nyandak Zayul, born in Kalimpong in 1965, is a distinguished Tibetan public servant who has made significant contributions to the Tibetan administration in exile. He served as a Member of the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies from 1996 to 2001 and was also the founding Executive Director of the…