Afshin Molavi Featured Guest at PAAIA Reception

July 17, 2012, Washington, D.C. – The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) held its annual reception for Iranian Americans who work for members of Congress and the Executive Branch on July 11, 2012.  The event, held at PAAIA’s headquarters, also marked the monthly NexGen DC Monthly Spotlight Series.  The guests, who also included Iranian Americans working for government consulting firms and nonprofit organizations, got a chance to mingle and network with one another in an intimate setting.

The receptions’ featured guest was critically acclaimed author and journalist, Afshin Molavi.  Molavi is a senior global advisor for Oxford Analytica, a global macro geo-political and gee-economic advisory and analysis firm with a network of 1400 specialists around the world. He is also senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a non-partisan think tank, where he writes widely on the politics and economics of Middle East states. A frequent keynote speaker at corporate events who has advised governments and businesses at the highest levels, Molavi is currently at work on a study of the “The New Silk Road” – the growing geo-commercial and economic corridor between the Middle East and Asia.

“The gathering of Capitol Hill and Administration staff represents the best of what organizations like PAAIA offer: the power of convening,” said Molavi. “As Margaret Mead once said: ‘Never doubt that small groups of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. It’s the only thing that ever has.’ PAAIA’s regular efforts to bring Iranian Americans engaged in public service together will shape our collective future in immeasurable ways. It was an honor to meet the next generation of Iranian American thinkers, policy-makers, and thoughtful, committed individuals.”

With the successful completion of this event, PAAIA continues its goal of facilitating the creation of a network of Iranian Americans in public service. PAAIA commends the participants’ dedication to public service and underscores its commitment as an organization to further empower the Iranian American community in the public arena by expanding opportunities for and encouraging the active participation of Iranian Americans in the public life of the United States.

Click here to view photo gallery of the reception on Facebook.