Washington, D.C.—The
American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is pleased to
announce that Barmak Nassirian has joined the association as its new director
of federal relations and policy analysis. In this role, Nassirian will coordinate
federal relations and legislative, regulatory and public policy at the federal
level; this position reports to the senior vice president for government
relations and policy analysis.
Nassirian is returning to AASCU after having
served the association from 1990-1998 as the director of federal policy analysis.
This was followed by nearly 15 years of executive management experience with
the Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. A nationally
known policy analyst and expert on federal student aid, Nassirian brings with
him an extensive network of contacts from within key federal agencies, the
Obama administration, the media, those on both sides of the aisle on Capitol
Hill, and the broader national higher education community.
“We are very pleased to welcome Barmak Nassirian back to AASCU,”
says AASCU President Muriel Howard. “His extensive experience advocating
on behalf of public higher education and his historic commitment to students
will be of great benefit to AASCU and our membership as we confront the many
critical issues that lay ahead.”
In his prior service with AASCU, Nassirian
provided analytical support, designed federal cost estimation models, and
participated in policy development and advocacy for the 1992 and 1998 Higher
Education Act (HEA) reauthorizations. In addition, he represented the
association on four negotiated rulemaking committees charged with developing
regulations to enact the 1992 Amendments and the Student Loan Reform Act of
1993. He has been successful in building coalitions with key stakeholders and
serving as a voice on major higher education issues, illustrated, for example,
by his testimony before House and Senate education committees.
Nassirian is an
avid supporter of the AASCU mission and will serve as a primary strategist in
advancing the association’s policy agenda with Congress and administration as
it involves the Higher Education Act reauthorization.
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AASCU is a Washington-based higher education
association of more than 400 public colleges, universities and systems whose
members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment
to underserved student populations and a dedication to research and creativity
that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development.