Igor Birman -  Former Guest Speaker at the Leadership Institute

Born in the Soviet Union in 1981, Igor Birman has seen firsthand the misery that tyrannical government inflicts upon its people and learned the precious nature of freedom witnessing his parents struggle under the communist regime.  After a decade of Soviet refusals to issue an exit permit, Igor and his family arrived in California as refugees in 1994.  
Two weeks later, Birman started high school at the age of 13 and spent his free time helping his parents open a small web-design business and build a prosperous future in their new country.  By then a firm believer in the American Dream, Igor proudly became a U.S. citizen in 2001. 


At the age of 16, Igor enrolled at the University of California, Davis, where he received a political science degree, having defended conservative principles as a student columnist.  At 24, Birman graduated as Doctor of Law from Emory University, where he chaired the Federalist Society, and in the following year he was admitted to the State Bar of California.


In 2009, Representative Tom McClintock appointed Birman as his Chief of Staff, tasking him with managing operations of the Congressional office and serving as senior policy and strategy advisor.
Throughout his life in America, Igor has not stopped promoting the ideals of freedom in pursuit of which his family fled the USSR.  He has managed fundraising efforts netting over $10 million dollars for conservative candidates and in 2014 ran for Congress in California’s 7th district.  Birman’s articles and opinion pieces have been published around the country and he has appeared on Fox News, The Blaze, NPR, C-SPAN and other California and national outlets.

 

Igor Birman