Maya Berry is Executive Director of the Arab American Institute (AAI), steering the Institute's policy agenda. Established in 1985, AAI is a non-profit, nonpartisan national leadership organization created to nurture and encourage the participation of Arab Americans in the political and civic life of the US, and to advocate on their behalf on the most pressing domestic and foreign policy issues facing our nation. In 1996, Berry established AAI’s first Government Relations department, which she led for 5 years before going to work for Congress as Legislative Director for House Minority Whip David E. Bonior (D-MI), managing the Congressman's legislative strategy and developing policies on international relations, human rights, immigration, national security, and trade. Berry started her career in public service working for ACCESS, the nation's oldest and largest Arab American human services non-profit.