Nina Hachigian is an American diplomat who served as the first U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy under Antony Blinken in the Biden administration. The Special Representative aims to bring the benefits of U.S. foreign policy, such as jobs, investments, innovative solutions, and international experiences, to the local and state level.
Prior to this, on August 4, 2017, Eric Garcetti announced the appointment of Hachigian as LA’s Deputy Mayor for International Affairs. In this role, she oversaw efforts that sent underserved community college students on free, educational international trips; created a new public-private partnership to attract international business and non-profits; prepared the City for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and their legacy; hosted the Summit of the Americas; founded the first global gender equity city network; planned trade missions, and worked with international city networks.
From 2014 to 2017, Hachigian served as the second U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During her tenure, the United States established a strategic partnership with ASEAN, held the first Leaders’ Summit in the United States, launched a Presidential initiative on economic cooperation, established the U.S.-ASEAN Women’s Leadership Academy and grew the youth program to over 100,000 members. She was awarded the State Department’s Superior Honor Award for her service. She is also a founder of WASA, Women Ambassadors Serving America.
Earlier, Hachigian was a senior fellow and a senior vice president at the Center for American Progress focused on Asia policy and U.S.-China relations. In 2012, she was the co-director of Asia policy for the Obama campaign. Prior to that, Hachigian was the director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy for four years. She served on the staff of the National Security Council in the Clinton White House from 1998-1999.
Hachigian was a founding member of the State Department’s International Security Advisory Board. She is a board member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a founder of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LC-WINS)