Jamal Abdi is President of the National Iranian American Council and the founder and executive director of its sister organization, NIAC Action. Jamal previously served as a policy advisor in the U.S. Congress on foreign policy, national security and immigration issues and prior to that as a campaign field director. He received his B.A. from the University of Washington in Seattle and has written for The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and USA Today and is a frequent contributor for broadcast outlets including CNN, NPR, and BBC.