U.S. Senate confirms Iranian American as Assistant Treasury Secretary
Businessweek reports that Iranian-American Cyrus Amir-Mokri was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Monday night as the U.S. Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for financial institutions. Amir-Mokri "has a wealth of experience in financial regulatory issues, including his work at the CFTC helping to secure historic financial reform," Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said in a release.
Amir-Mokri was born 1964 in Tehran, Iran and immigrated to America in 1981. He graduated from Harvard College in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. While in college, he served as co-editor-in-chief of the Harvard International Review. After graduating from college, Mr. Amir-Mokri studied Islamic History at the University of Chicago, where he wrote his dissertation on Iran’s constitutional revolution.
Mr. Amir-Mokri then earned his law degree from the University of Chicago and later became a partner at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, resident in its New York office. He concentrated in complex commercial litigation. He participated in many of the firm’s high-profile litigation matters. He also has devoted substantial time to community service and pro bono matters, such as representing inmates on death row, prisoners with civil rights claims and political asylum applicants.
Most recently, Mr. Amir-Mokri was a senior legal and policy advisor to the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He participated in the legislative process that led to the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act and the subsequent implementation through rulemaking. He also served as the agency’s deputy representative to the Financial Stability Oversight Council and as liaison for inter-agency affairs. Mr. Amir-Mokri’s previous experience in government was to serve as law clerk to the Honorable Bruce M. Selya of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
He has also been active in matters affecting the Iranian-American community. A two-term director and supporter of the Iranian-American Bar Association, he played a central role in supervising preparation of position papers on recent United States immigration policy and an independent report on the implementation of certain of those policies. Mr. Amir-Mokri is also a founding member and supporter of the Iranian-American Political Action Committee, which is devoted to encouraging Iranian-Americans to participate in the civic and political life of the United States. With his assignment as Assistant Treasury Secretary, Amir-Mokri currently holds the highest office in U.S. government among Iranian-Americans. He is an avid fan of soccer and classical music.
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