Bob Sakaniwa (he/him/his) is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at APIAVote having worked in Washington, DC for more years than he cares to remember. Bob does bring a wealth of experience, having worked both on the Hill for members of Congress as well as several civil rights and immigrant rights organizations. Through his various stints on and off the Hill, Bob has gained deep insight into the workings of the House and Senate and brings that knowledge to his efforts as an advocate for civil rights and immigrant rights.
On the Hill, Bob was Congressman Mike Honda’s first legislative director joining team Honda after working to get out the vote on Mike’s first hard fought campaign in 2000. Before joining APIAVote, Bob worked on immigration policy at the American Immigration Lawyers Association where he learned the crucial need to work in partnership and coalition with organizations representing the many different (sometimes conflicting) interests in immigraton policy reforms. Bob has also worked on immigration policy at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (now LCCHR) and the National Immigration Forum. Bob was also the Washington Representative for the Japanese American Citizens League where he advocated for Japanese Latin American issues, full funding of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and issues impacting the AAPI community. Bob earned his B.A. in political science at Middlebury College and his J.D. at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is the nation’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities to strengthen their voices and create impact. For 15 years, APIAVote has been at the forefront of a rising movement to ensure AAPIs are represented and heard, leading to historic voter turnout and advancing equity for AAPI communities.
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