WASHINGTON, DC – Campus and community organizer Garo Manjikian is the latest addition to the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Washington, DC office, bringing years of grassroots advocacy experience to the ANCA legislative affairs team.

“We are delighted to add Garo to our ANCA team in Washington, DC,” stated ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. “With his extensive grassroots organizing skills and deep involvement in the Armenian community, Garo will work closely with our regional and local teams to maximize community participation in securing Armenian American victories on Capitol Hill.”

A graduate from the University of California Davis with a degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies, Manjikian has worked as campus organizer for CALPIRG at UC Santa Barbara, leading student and volunteer efforts to plan, organize and implement public interest campaigns on issues including global warming, hunger homelessness, college affordability, youth voting, and ending the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Specific campaign victories have included working with the University of California system to commit to climate neutrality and passing California Prop 1A, to bring high speed rail to the golden state. As canvass director for the Fund for the Public Interest, Manjikian and his team raised over $300,000 and recruited thousands of members for progressive causes including Environment California, CALPIRG, and the Human Rights Campaign to advocate stronger policies for California Environment, improve public transit, and build support for the employment non-discrimination act.

During the 2008 presidential election season, Manjikian worked as a lead organizer for Progressive Future, traveling to university campuses throughout Pennsylvania and Virginia and encouraging tens of thousands of students to register to vote.

“After working with a diverse group of grassroots human rights and student groups over the past several years, I am excited to work with the ANCA team in Washington, DC and around the nation to help take our legislative agenda to new heights,” said Manjikian. “A new President and Congress will afford our community new opportunities to seek justice for the Armenian Genocide, self-determination for the people of Nagorno Karabagh and stronger U.S.-Armenia relationship. I look forward to the challenges ahead.”

A graduate of Mesrobian Armenian School in Montebello, CA, Manjikian served as University of California Davis Armenian Student Association president for two years, and was highly involved in organizing multiple genocide awareness and action events on campus through out his undergraduate term. He has been active with the ANCA, participating the Capital Gateway program as an ANCA intern in 2006 and later working with the ANC of Santa Barbara, to build a stronger coalition in support of Armenian Genocide reaffirmation efforts.