Through the Front Door of the White House

PAAIA Attends White House Roundtable with Iranian American Community Leaders
 
July 19, 2012, Washington D.C. – Yesterday, the staff, members of the Board of Directors, and numerous Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) members were, amongst a number of other civic organizations and individuals invited to participate in a Roundtable discussion with Iranian American Community leaders hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement. The meeting, which was held in the Executive Office Building, featured several key Administration officials who provided an overview of a range of foreign policy and domestic initiatives relevant to the Iranian American community and presented an opportunity for community members to share their views as part of the White House’s efforts to increase civic engagement across the country.

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Through the Front Door of the White House 
By Amir Bagherpour
               
July 23, 2012, Washington D.C. – On July 18, the White House held a roundtable for Iranian American community leaders. Organized by the Office of Public Engagement, this event was part of President Obama’s ongoing effort to create a dialogue between the administration and the various communities that constitute the American public.

Looking around the room, I could not help but notice the numerous community leaders who had served the United States in public service. In fact, more than one quarter of those who attended the meeting serve or had served in government. Some of the notable figures included Lieutenant Colonel Milad Pooran, U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and Iraq War veteran; the Honorable Bijan Kian, former board member of the U.S. Import-Export Bank and member of the White House Business Council; Dr. Firouz Naderi, director of solar system exploration at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. There was also an Iranian American representative from the administration,  Cyrus Amir-Mokri, who currently serves as assistant treasury secretary for financial institutions.

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Interning on Capitol Hill
By Deanna Javadi
 
July 19, 2012, Washington D.C. -The PAAIA Capitol Hill Internship Program (CHIP) is a great way to be exposed to the U.S. Congress.  The program, sponsored by Dr. Akbar Ghahary, provides interested Iranian Americans with the opportunity to intern on Capitol Hill.  This summer, as a CHIP intern, I was placed in the office of Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards of Fort Washington, who represents Maryland’s 4^th Congressional District, comprising portions of Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties.
 
Working closely with the Congresswoman’s legislative staff, I was privy to the inner workings of a congressional office.  The Congresswoman maintains offices on Capitol Hill as well as in her District in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties.  While the Capitol Hill office is primarily responsible for legislative issues, the District offices are focused on congressional casework and outreach.  I have had the opportunity to interact and work with staff members from all offices. 
 
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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 reception’s 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.

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