Harout Harry Semerdjian has been a valued member of The Safe Community Project since March 2016. Harout is currently the organization’s Director of Government Affairs, working with elected officials throughout California to share our mission and progress. Harout has also served as a Campaign Adviser to several city and state election campaigns, and most recently helped secure victory for Professor Raul Bocanegra for California State Assembly, District 39.

Harout’s past positions include Legislative Deputy for the City of Los Angeles, Office of Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, where he focused on public safety, innovation & technology, and human relations. His numerous accomplishments for the City include securing a yearly day in April as Day of Religious Pluralism in the City of Los Angeles.

In 2019, Harout spent considerable time in Washington D.C., working for the Foreign Affairs Committee in Congress, under the leadership of Representative Eliot Engle. His work in the District has provided Harout with a wider scope of expertise, which he is now employing in his work with The Safe Community Project.

He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in modern History and Near Eastern Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an M.A.L.D. in International Law & Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. He has also been a PhD scholar in International Affairs at the University of Oxford, St. Antony’s College.