Oct. 4, 2001

Sawaya Appointed Vice President

Former Federal Government Relations Consultant
Will Head Government, International, and Corporate Affairs Initiatives

The University recently appointed Richard N. Sawaya to serve as the vice president for government, international, and corporate affairs, a senior staff position that reports to Vice President and Treasurer Louis H. Katz.

Sawaya assumed the new vice presidential position after serving as special consultant to the University managing federal government relations. Before coming to GW, the Los Angeles native represented the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). His responsibilities at ARCO included corporate, financial, employee benefits, and philanthropic issues. After ARCO was acquired by British Petroleum, Sawaya left to become a principal with Research-able, Inc.

As vice president, Sawaya will be responsible for developing the long-range strategic planning for GW’s governmental, international, and corporate affairs, cultivating relationships with these entities and furthering new business developments. He also will advise the president, the Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff on governmental, international, and corporate affairs issues.

Sawaya has represented such as Chevron in Washington, with respect to the Middle East and North Africa to further new business development. He also serves a as director of government affairs for the American Turkish Council, providing advocacy on behalf of 250 corporate members; serves as executive director of the US-Venezuela Business Council, which represents more than 80 percent of the US corporate investment in Venezuela; and serves pro bono on the steering committee of the Foreign Policy Roundtable.

He received his BA in English literature from Boston College and later earned his PhD in English and American literature at Harvard University as a Wilson and Danforth Fellow.

 

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