Nick AbouAssaly was born in Beirut, Lebanon.  At the age of nine, he immigrated with his family to Iowa to escape civil war and seek better opportunities. Nick graduated from Linn-Mar High School and attended the University of Iowa, where he earned a finance degree with honors and a law degree with distinction.

​

He worked as an in-house attorney for Exxon Corporation in Houston, Texas, but was eventually drawn back to Iowa by the desire to be near his family and the opportunity to live in a community where he could make a greater impact.

​

Since returning to the area in 1995 he has been involved in all aspects of community development and leadership in Marion and in Cedar Rapids.

​

He served on the Marion City Council for 2 ½ years before his election to the office of Mayor in November 2015. He began his second mayoral term on January 1, 2020.

​

Mayor Nick is a 29-year attorney and a partner with the law firm of Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman, where he heads the real estate law department. He is included on the lists of Best Lawyers in America® and Great Plains Super Lawyers.

​

He has been on the Corridor Business Journal’s list of most influential people in the Corridor for three consecutive years, topping the list in 2018, and was the 2019 recipient of the National Council on Youth Leadership’s Visionary Youth Leadership Award.

​

He is an advocate for progress in Marion and the region.