Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced the appointment of Ambassador Nina Hachigian as Deputy Mayor for International Affairs.

Hachigian, an L.A. resident who served as U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Obama Administration, will lead the newly-created Mayor’s Office of International Affairs. The office will work to broaden the city’s global engagement on matters ranging from trade, investment, culture, and tourism to preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Los Angeles is a leader on the world stage — we’re bringing the Olympics back to America, and Angelenos deserve the wealth of jobs and other new opportunities that come with increased international trade, more foreign investment, and heightened cultural exchange,” said Mayor Garcetti. “Nina will be an outstanding leader for my Office of International Affairs — an Angeleno with the right experience, and who understands how deeper engagement with the world can lift up all of our communities.”

The office headed by Hachigian will oversee and coordinate all of the city’s international affairs — including advising the Mayor on trade policy and opportunities, attracting global investment, assisting the Host Committee with preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and managing relationships with global leaders. She will assume the post on Sept. 6.

“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity Mayor Garcetti has given me to serve the people of our city,” said Hachigian. “Los Angeles is already a worldwide beacon of hope, opportunity, diversity and innovation — and the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs will work tirelessly to build on that standing in a way that results in new opportunities for all Angelenos.”

Hachigian was appointed U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN by former President Obama, and served in the post from 2014 to 2017 with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. During her tenure, the U.S. 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 had previously served as director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy for four years, been Senior Vice President at the Center for American Progress, and was on the staff of the National Security Council in the Clinton White House from 1998 to 1999.

A founder of Women Ambassadors Serving America (WASA), Ambassador Hachigian holds a B.S. from Yale University and is a graduate of Stanford Law School. She is the editor of “Debating China: The U.S. – China Relationship in Ten Conversations” (Oxford University Press, 2014), and co-author of “The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise” (Simon & Schuster, 2008).