Positive federal government relations are vital to the growth of LMU and higher education. Lowering student loan interest rates and increasing financial aid through programs like the Pell Grant are some of the collaborative issues LMU undertakes with the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). 

	Business leaders converged at LMU on March 22, 2012 for the White House Urban Economic Forum. The event connected urban entrepreneurs with local and national resources to help their businesses grow. U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and business leader and NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson were among the keynote speakers.
	LMU commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2012 with a visit by 100 foster care youth who were greeted by Rep. Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina. The young visitors spent the day touring the campus, listening to professionals talk about career paths and receiving college counseling.
	Students in LMU's 2009 summer ACCESS program received a visit from Rep. Maxine Waters, who emphasized the importance of STEM careers. ACCESS is a program for first-year students that focuses on academic and critical thinking in the sciences.

Rep. Maxine Waters, who represents LMU, joined students in Trio, Upward Bound commencement celebrations on August 8, 2008.

Notable Alums and Friends of the University 

• Arif Alikhan '93 is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism at the National Defense University, College of International Security Affairs in Washington, D.C. He is the former appointee to the Obama administration where he served as assistant secretary for the Office of Policy Development in the Department of Homeland Security. He has also served as Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security and Public Safety for the City of Los Angeles.
• Congresswoman Karen Bass, former LMU parent, also served as Speaker of the Assembly.
  
• April Boyd '97 was nominated by President Obama as the assistant secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
  
• Ollie Cantos '92, JD '97 has been a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice since April 2009. He is vice chairman of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and a member of the Interagency Coordinating Council on Disability Research at the U.S. Department of Education.
• The Honorable Tony Coelho '64 was U.S. House Majority Whip and served from 1978-1989 in the House of Representatives.
• Angelo Dalmacio '05 is advisor on communications and education policy for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 
  
• The Honorable Bob Dornan '54 was elected in 1984, and represented California's 38th Congressional District in central Orange County until 1997. During his entire congressional career Dornan was elected in districts that were overwhelmingly democrat.
• Henry S. Ensher '82 was nominated by President Obama in March 2011 as Ambassador to the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria in the Department of State.
  
• Gabriella Gomez '95 has been active working in Washington, D.C. staffing Chairman George Miller on the House Education and Labor Committee as Senior Policy Advisor. In March 2009, she was appointed to the U.S. Department of Education as Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs.
• David F. Grimaldi, Jr. '98 is Chief of Staff and Media Legal Advisor for Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. Previously he served as the Senior Counsel to Former House Majority Whip Representative Jim Clyburn. 
  
• Chris Grisafe '05 is Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment & Training Service at the U.S. Department of Labor.
• LMU Regent Kevin J. Kennedy is appointee member of the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. 
  
• Alejandro Mayorkas '85 was appointed to the Obama administration in May 2009 as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
• The Honorable Nancy Pelosi became the first woman and first Californian to serve as the Speaker of the House. Pelosi is the mother of LMU alum Alexandra Pelosi ‘92, an accomplished journalist and documentary filmmaker.
• Rick Terrazas '92 is District Chief of Staff for Congressman Duncan Hunter.