White House Author

Zaki Barzinji is a Senior Associate Director of Public Engagement and serves as the White House liaison to Muslim-American communities and other faiths, including Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus, and others. Prior to joining the White House, he served as Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Governor Terry McAuliffe. He previously served as technology policy adviser to Governor McAuliffe and helped direct the launch of Virginia's first official open data portal. Concurrently, he served as the Governor's liaison to the Virginia Asian Advisory Board. He previously directed AAPI, Arab American, and faith outreach for the 2013 McAuliffe for Governor Campaign. He is also the former President of the Muslim Youth of North America, the oldest and largest national organization serving young Muslim-Americans. He is a native of Sterling, VA and met his wife on the night of President Obama's election in 2008.