ARMENIAN
ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 9, 2019
Contact:
Danielle Saroyan
Telephone:
(202) 393-3434
Web: www.aaainc.org
ARMENIAN AMERICANS IN POLITICS
JOIN PANEL AT ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY’S NATIONAL ADVOCACY CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America
(Assembly) announced that Armenian Americans active in politics are joining a
panel on “The Importance of Advocacy” during the Assembly’s National
Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday, September 16, 2019.
California
State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian; President Donald Trump’s Transition Team
Executive Director and Nahigian Strategies President and Founder Keith
Nahigian; Michigan State Representative Mari Manoogian; and President George W.
Bush Administration’s U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administrator
and former Michigan legislator John Jamian will join a panel moderated by Elise
Kenderian Aronson, Vice President of Government Affairs at MacAndrews &
Forbes Holdings and a former Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill.
“This
panel discussion of Armenian Americans with experience in government relations
and media messaging alongside current and former elected officials offers an
important opportunity to inspire conference participants to advocate for
stronger U.S.-Armenia relations,” Assembly Congressional Relations
Director Mariam Khaloyan said.
Assemblymember
Adrin Nazarian represents California’s 46th Assembly District, which includes
the Hollywood Hills, Lake Balboa, North Hills, North Hollywood, Panorama City,
Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Universal City, Van Nuys,
and Valley Village. He has led many efforts in support of Armenians in
California since his election in 2012, including the Turkish Divestment Bill
and formal reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, as well as his work
strengthening ties between the Republic of Armenia and California, spearheading
delegations of fellow state elected officials and business leaders while
visiting Armenia and Artsakh.
Prior to
being elected, Assemblymember Nazarian served as Chief of Staff to Paul
Krekorian in both of Krekorian’s capacities as Assistant Majority Leader in the
California State Legislature and as Los Angeles Councilmember. He was also as
an aide to Congressman Brad Sherman, participated in the prestigious CORO
Fellowship in Public Affairs, and was appointed Special Assistant to the
California Trade and Commerce Agency by former Governor Gray Davis.
A 27-year
veteran with top-level experience advising, designing, and managing some of the
largest political campaigns in U.S. history, Keith Nahigian has worked for
governors, Members of Congress, and served in the White House under the first
Bush Administration. His work has taken him around the world to dozens of
countries and almost every state in the nation. Among other roles, Keith has
served as Special Assistant to the Vice President of the United States, Special
Assistant to the Governor of New Jersey, consultant to the Secretary of Health
and Human Services (HHS), and campaign manager to Congresswoman Michele
Bachmann in her 2012 presidential campaign.
In 2000, he
founded Nahigian Strategies, a full-service strategic communications and public
relations firm based in Washington, D.C. spanning diverse industries in the
public and private sectors. Among his many career achievements, Nahigian has
worked for six presidential campaigns, managed the messaging priorities for the
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) at the request of the
Secretary, and orchestrated both the Medicare Part D prescription drug
enrollment campaign and the HHS Prevention and Value Driven campaign. He has significant
experience working with the media and has been a frequent source of commentary
for national news outlets, including the Washington
Post, New York Times, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, ABC, CNN, NBC, CBS,
Fox News, NPR, and others.
Michigan
State Representative Mari Manoogian is serving her first term representing the
40th House District, which includes Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield
Township, and a portion of West Bloomfield Township. At 27, she is the youngest
woman serving in the 100th Legislature, and the first Armenian American woman
to serve in the Michigan House of Representatives. Prior to joining the
legislature, Rep. Manoogian served in various capacities at the United States
Department of State.
Rep.
Manoogian is a third generation American whose great-grandparents came to the
U.S. in the 1920s to escape the Armenian Genocide, and she is a Board Member of
the Armenian Genocide Education Committee in Michigan. She earned both her
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Elliott School of International
Affairs at the George Washington University. Rep. Manoogian is a member of
Saint Sarkis Armenian Church in Dearborn.
Prior to his
appointment and United States Senate confirmation to serve as Deputy Director
of the Maritime Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation, John
Jamian served as Executive Director of the Armenian Assembly of America from
2001 to 2002. Today, he is the Armenian Assembly’s volunteer Michigan State
Director, where he spearheads Assembly initiatives throughout the Great Lakes
region.
Jamian is
the first Armenian American official to be elected to the Michigan House of
Representatives. He served Michigan’s 40th District from 1991-1996, and
sponsored Genocide Resolutions in the Michigan House while in office. During
his tenure as a Michigan legislator, he served as Chairman of the House Task
Force Committee on Port and Maritime Affairs. His work also included reporting
on Intermodal Transportation Initiatives for the State of Michigan.
A long-time
community activist, Jamian has co-chaired events honoring former Senator Bob
Dole (R-KS) and President George W. Bush, and organized numerous fundraisers
for local and national politicians. He was instrumental in introducing the
Co-Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Congressman Joe
Knollenberg (R-MI) and many other public officials to the Armenian community.
He also helped establish Michigan’s first Armenian American Public Affairs
Committee. He is a member of St. John’s Armenian Church of Detroit and the
Knights of Vartan Men’s Lodge, as well as an active member of the Armenian
Genocide Education Committee, which he helped for the passage of the 2016 House
Bill 4493 – the Genocide Education: Governor’s Advisory Council &
Curriculum and Assessment.
Elise
Kenderian Aronson is Senior Vice President for Government Relations at
MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, a private diversified holding company
with interests in a broad portfolio of publicly traded and privately held
companies. Current holdings include leading participants across a wide range of
industries, including cosmetics, biotechnology, intelligent media delivery, education
services, financial services, and national defense.
Prior to her
current position, Elise spent over twelve years on Capitol Hill, beginning in
1996, working for the then-House International Relations Committee. She left
the Committee in 1997 to work for Congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon
(R-CA) as a Legislative Assistant from 1997 to 2000, covering military and
health issues. In 2000, Elise joined the office of Congressman Jim Saxton
(R-NJ) as the Legislative Director, responsible for managing the legislative
staff in his Washington office. In 2003, she was promoted to Chief of Staff,
overseeing all of his legislative and political operations in Washington,
serving this in capacity until 2008.
The keynote
speaker for the Advocacy Conference is David Bohigian, Overseas Private
Investment Corporation (OPIC) Acting President and Chief Executive Officer
(CEO). Bohigian is the highest ranking Armenian American official in the
Administration and traveled to Armenia last year in his official capacity. OPIC
has helped finance numerous projects in Armenia over the years.
In addition
to the luncheon, the National Advocacy Conference and Gala includes panel
discussions, meetings on Capitol Hill, and a congressional celebration of
United States-Armenia relations.
Tickets are
available online at www.aimhye.com/events/tickets.
For more information on the National Advocacy Conference, visit www.aimhye.com.
Established
in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.
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NR#: 2019-035
Photo
Caption 1: California State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian; President Donald
Trump’s Transition Team Executive Director and Nahigian Strategies President
and Founder Keith Nahigian; Michigan State Representative Mari Manoogian; and
President George W. Bush Administration’s U.S. Department of Transportation
Maritime Administrator and former Michigan legislator John Jamian
Photo
Caption 2: California State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian with Armenian
Assembly Western Region Director Mihran Toumajan, Armenian Assembly Southern
California Regional Council Member Helen Haig, and Deacon Daniel Aydenian
Photo
Caption 3: Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program alumnus Keith Nahigian
with the Internship Program Class of 2019
Photo
Caption 4: Michigan State Representative Mari Manoogian introducing legislation
that declares April 24 as a Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide in the
Michigan’s House of Representatives
Photo
Caption 5: Former Michigan State Senator Marty Knollenberg and Armenian
Assembly State Director John Jamian
Photo
Caption 6: Elise Kenderian Aronson with the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly
Internship Program Class of 2019
Available
online: