Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Holden hired Stephanie Mkhlian as his new Communications Director and Sierra Sheppard as his new Legislative Aide. Mkhlian will be working in his Pasadena District Office, while Sheppard will join his Capitol Office in Sacramento.
“I am excited to welcome Stephanie Mkhlian and Sierra Sheppard to my district and capitol teams,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “I am impressed with Sierra’s dedication to public safety policy and analysis of legislation, and Stephanie makes an exceptional fit for my office with her commitment to problem-solving, community empowerment and out of the box critical thinking.”
Stephanie Mkhlian has five years of experience in public service at both the state and city level under her belt. She started her career in government service as an AmeriCorps VISTA fellow for the community impact initiative, Los Angeles Promise Zone at the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office. Mkhlian, a native Angeleno has been involved in various community organizations such as the Armenian Professional Society, GALAS LGBTQ Armenian Society, and Ezrach Community Brain Trust and World Harvest Food Bank. Currently, Mkhlian is a Masters of Business Administration student at California State University Long Beach, focusing on data disruption and sustainability. She graduated from Mount Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelors in Political Science and International Relations in 2014.
Garo Manjikian, who previously served six years as Communications Director for Assemblymember Holden, is pursuing a career in Landscape Architecture.
“I have had the pleasure of getting to know Garo over the last six years and have enjoyed working with him sincerely. Garo’s leadership, determination and positive impact will be missed. I wish him the best in his future endeavors and he will always be a member of Team Holden,” said Holden.
Sierra Sheppard, a Sacramento native, received her Bachelors in Sociology at University of California, Davis in 2020. During her time at UC Davis, she competed as a student athlete on the Track and Field team and founded a student organization for black student athletes called the Coalition of African Diaspora Student Athletes (CADSA). When Sheppard was not studying or involved with campus activities, she interned for Assemblymember Marc Levine and was able to synthesize legislative data, bill comments and propose legislative ideas. Sheppard is dedicated to policy, community engagement and public service.
“While Garo, a key asset in my office will be missed, I look forward to getting to know both Sierra and Stephanie and see how we can best meet and exceed the needs of not only my district, but the residents of the state of California,” said Holden.