Boston, MA - With less then a
week to go before the Senate primary election in Massachusetts, community
activist and social entrepreneur Alan Khazei has recently received a series of
high-profile endorsements from former presidential candidate Wesley Clark to the
Boston Globe. Khazei, an American of Iranian and Italian descent, is one
of four Democratic candidates running for the late Senator Ted Kennedy's Senate
seat.
On November 29th, the Boston Globe Editorial Staff endorsed Khazei as
Massachusetts' best chance to produce another great senator. "The 48-year-old
Khazei offers a strong vision for success in the Senate, channeling the energy
of activist groups and private-sector policy incubators while dedicating himself
to the laborious task of building legislative coalitions," said the Boston
Globe. "His energy, idealism, and intelligence - combined with a grounded sense
of how the Senate works - is unusual, and gives voters a chance to support a
new, home-grown approach to politics."
A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Khazei co-founded City
Year in 1988 as a prototype domestic Peace Corps to engage young Americans of
all backgrounds in a year of service. Through his leadership City Year
blossomed into a program which now enlists over 1,500 young adults in 20
communities across America. Khazei is also the founder of Be the Change, a
nonprofit advocacy organization that seeks to convert the energy of the national
service movement into political and social reform. He is the citizen leader
behind the bipartisan Edward Kennedy Serve America Act that the President signed
into law earlier this year, dramatically expanding AmeriCorps and introducing a
host of new policy initiatives to engage young people in revitalizing their
communities. In 2006, U.S. News and World Report named Khazei one of America's
25 Best Leaders.
Khazei faces stiff competition in the December 8th Democratic primary. His
opponents include frontrunner Massachusetts' Attorney General Martha Coakley, as
well as U.S. Representative Michael Capuano and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen
Pagliuca. The winner of the primary will face the Republican nominee in the
January 19th, 2010 special election.
If successful, Khazei will become the first American of Iranian descent to serve
in the U.S. Congress. Khazei lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with his wife,
Vanessa Kirsch, daughter, and son.
A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Khazei co-founded City
Year in 1988 as a prototype domestic Peace Corps to engage young Americans of
all backgrounds in a year of service. Through his leadership City Year
blossomed into a program which now enlists over 1,500 young adults in 20
communities across America. Khazei is also the founder of Be the Change, a
nonprofit advocacy organization that seeks to convert the energy of the national
service movement into political and social reform. He is the citizen leader
behind the bipartisan Edward Kennedy Serve America Act that the President signed
into law earlier this year, dramatically expanding AmeriCorps and introducing a
host of new policy initiatives to engage young people in revitalizing their
communities. In 2006, U.S. News and World Report named Khazei one of America's
25 Best Leaders.