The Assyrian Policy Institute is pleased to announce the recent appointments of Sargon Hanna to its Board of Directors and Jamie Bahoura to the position of Advocacy Coordinator. Their perspectives and expertise will help the organization continue to expand its operations and impact.
"I look forward to working with these incredible leaders in deepening our impact and driving our mission forward," said Jon Koriel, API Chairman. "We are excited to channel Sargon and Jamie's expertise and energy into our collective work as an organization. All of us on the board look forward to their counsel and contributions."
The key purpose of the API's Board of Directors is to determine and monitor the organization's activities and projects, to advise on and review strategic plans, and to ensure that the API's undertakings are aligned with its mission and objectives. The Advocacy Coordinator's primary duties are to implement API's advocacy strategy and coordinate advocacy activities.
Sargon Hanna is an entrepreneur based in Grafton, Massachusetts with more than a decade of leadership and management experience in both the public and private sectors. Sargon has been a longtime advocate for the Assyrian-American community and a determined proponent for Assyrian rights. Before joining the API, Sargon served as President of the Assyrian American Association of Massachusetts. He continues to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Elias Hanna Foundation, a family-run charitable organization benefiting Assyrians in need, with a particular focus on the remaining communities of Assyrians in northeastern Syria. He has traveled to Syria on numerous occasions, witnessing firsthand the challenges faced by Assyrians in the region.
In addition, Sargon has extensive experience in public service. From 2016-2019, he served on the Board of Selectmen for the town of Grafton. Prior to being elected to the office of Selectman, he served on the town's Capital Improvement Planning Committee and the Community Preservation Committee.
Sargon received a bachelor's degree in Management from Assumptions College. He currently lives in Grafton with his wife Catherine and their three children Zalin, Aryo, and Ramina.
Jamie Bahoura currently works as a public sector advisory consultant, aiding state and local governments across the United States in delivering better services to residents, business, and visitors. She has a Bachelor's Degree in German and International Studies from the University of Michigan and a Master of Management Degree from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. After college, she spent two years in Dubai to begin her career in management consulting before moving back home to the Metro Detroit area. Throughout her life, she has been involved in many community organizations, and has served as President of the Chaldean American Student Association at the University of Michigan from 2015-2016 as well as Executive Director of the Detroit Partnership, a nonprofit organization promoting service-learning for college students, from 2016-2017. She has more recently become involved in volunteering for the Assyrian Policy Institute, bringing through her passion of advocating for and bringing together Assyrians of all backgrounds.