(PRESS RELEASE) Alexandria, VA — The Vision Council has appointed Omar Elkhatib as the organization’s new government relations manager. In this role, he will work closely with The Vision Council’s federal affairs partners at Venable, regulatory counsel Rick Van Arnam and serve as the staff liaison to the Government and Regulatory Affairs Committee. Elkhatib will report to Michael Vitale, The Vision Council’s vice president of membership and technical affairs.
“We are excited to welcome Omar to our team,” said Maureen Beddis, Executive Vice President of Membership and Strategic Initiatives at The Vision Council. “The Vision Council members consistently rank government and regulatory affairs as a top member benefit, so we are delivering on our mission to position members for success by bolstering those offerings, both through the addition of this new dedicated team member as well as through our recent partnership with Venable, one of Washington D.C.’s leading government relations firms. Omar’s extensive knowledge and experience, paired with the invaluable relationships and expertise of our partners at Venable, will serve our members well as we continue to expand our GR capabilities and reach.”
Prior to joining The Vision Council, Elkhatib was the Senior Manager, Democracy Initiatives at the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution. In that position, he represented the organization on Capitol Hill among other duties. Omar has also held other positions in several organizations of increasing responsibility in government relations, lobbying and advocacy.
He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in Elections and Campaign Management from Fordham University.