Maryam Hassanein was previously a Biden-Harris administration political appointee at the Department of the Interior, where she was Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. Inspired by the student movement, she resigned on July 2, 2024, in opposition to the administration’s handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict and its harmful impact on Palestinians. She is the youngest to resign so far and the first Muslim appointee to do so.
Hassanein was an active supporter of the Biden campaign in 2020; she worked to rally her community to vote for Biden in the battleground state of Arizona. Before joining the administration, Hassanein worked on Capitol Hill in a Democratic member office, managing a diverse portfolio that included environment and energy, religious liberty, and international human rights. Prior to this, Hassanein has worked on a political campaign and with various nonprofit advocacy organizations centered on environmentalism, nuclear weapon elimination, and reproductive rights. Hassanein graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in justice studies and a minor in social welfare.
