March 2018 Newsletter
Issue I

IAWF wishes you a very Happy Nowruz!

The Iranian American Women Foundation would like to wish you a very Happy Nowruz!
 
May the coming year be filled with glorious endeavors and many successful results.


Champion for Innovation by United Nations


Iranian American Women Foundation congratulates Nina Ansary on being appointed by United Nations Women as the Champion for Innovation. Her numerous contributions to women's and girls' rights have made her a luminary icon across the globe.

Dr. Nina Ansary is a bestselling author, historian, and leading authority on women's rights in Iran. Her book Jewels of Allah: The Untold Story of Women in Iran received international attention and has garnered multiple awards - including the 2016 International Book Award in "Women's Issues". In 2018, Dr. Ansary was appointed 1 one of 6 UN Women Champions for Innovation, supporting the flagship programs of the Global Innovation Coalition for Change (GICC). She is the recipient of The 2018 Trailblazer Award from Barnard College, Columbia University. She has also been recognized as one of "14 Privileged Women to Change the World" by Marie Claire, been featured in Angeleno Magazine's "Living Legacies of 2016" and selected as one of "Five Iranian Visionaries You Need to Know" and "6 Women Who Build Bridges Not Walls" by The New York Times. Dr. Ansary has appeared on Fox News, Larry King, The BBC and CBS Radio and been featured in a variety of top publications, including CNN.com, The Los Angeles Times, The UK Daily Telegraph, Teen Vogue and the Yale Journal of International Affairs. She regularly contributes to the Daily Beast and to Women in the World in association with The New York Times. Dr. Ansary is a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics Centre for Women, Peace and Security and regularly presents her work at top universities, including Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, New York and Harvard, as well as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington D.C., the UN Social Good Summit, and worldwide conferences in Dublin, Milan and London. She also frequently moderates panels and discussions, most recently at the UN Women's Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Industry Forum 2017. Ansary holds an MA in Middle Eastern Studies and a PhD in History from Columbia University. She serves on Columbia University's Global Leadership Council, the Board of Trustees of Barnard College, the Iranian American Women's Foundation (IAWF), and Persia Educational Foundation.

Read Barnad College's Article here.


SOFREH: The Art of Persian Celebration


Maryam Khosrowshahi is an art enthusiast, a collector and an avid floral designer. She has lived, worked and studied in Iran, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and Switzerland, where she now works on the research and design of her personal projects. She is the co-author of  SOFREH: The Art of Persian Celebration .


SOFREH: The Art of Persian Celebration  is an enduring gift for Nowruz or other special celebrations, that will appeal to those interested in folklore, beauty, art and design. It's a journey in words and images through the culture of Persian celebrations with sofreh, Persian for spread, as the focal point. The book is elegantly packaged in two lavishly illustrated volumes devoted to compositions created by Maryam Khosrowshahi for the Persian New Year and marriage ceremonies. Historical essays by Dr Willem Floor, an independent scholar who has written extensively about Iran, illuminate the history and symbolism of these ancient Persian customs, while the preface by acclaimed Iranian artist Parviz Tanavoli provides a lens into the beauty and depth of Khosrowshahi's creations.
 
The book is published by ACC Art Books and available internationally. For more information visit  www.sofrehartofpersiancelebration.com.


Iranian American Women's Leadership Conference 2018 in Los Angeles

 Photography By: Kvon Photography

Join us for another inspiring and empowering  Iranian American Women's Leadership Conference on  April 29th, 2018 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel from  8:30 am to 5:30 pm .

We have thought-provoking and inspiring panels  featuring a diverse array of engaging speakers, empowering stories and workshops which also provide opportunities to connect with fellow members of the IAWF community  as well as activities throughout the day!

To learn more about our speakers, sessions, and workshops click  here.


Buy your EARLY BIRD tickets before it's too late!

Ticket Information:

General Admission:  $175.00 
Student Rate:  $85.00

(Contact us at 949-461-1996 to learn about student rate qualification)

For more information about tickets  click here.


 
New York - Mentor

Dr. Leila Jahangiri is Clinical Professor and Chair of the Department of Prosthodontics at New York University College of Dentistry since 2002; and, serves NYU as a university senator. Dr. Leila Jahangiri completed her B.D.S. from King's College, University of London (UK) and D.M.D. training, Certificate in Prosthodontics, and Master's of Medical Sciences degrees from Harvard School of Dental Medicine where Dr. Leila Jahangiri was the recipient of the Joseph L. Henry Award for "Overall Achievement in Clinical and Research Training and Contribution to the School." 

Read more about Leila Jahangiri here.

Northern California

Sameh is a San Francisco based Artist & Illustrator, born in Tehran, Iran. She graduated form the University of Tehran with a Masters of Fine Art magna cum laude degree. She has exhibited her work internationally in Iran, United Arab of Emirate, Germany, Italy, & throughout California, including LA & SF. In 2013 she was granted a genius visa as an Extra Ordinary Ability Artist from the U.S. government & for residence in CA. She is a Contemporary Surrealist painter & reveals her life experience & thoughts with familiar Persian symbols & aesthetically composed conceptually layered artworks.

Read more about Sameh Khalatbari  here.

Alexandra Monir
Southern California

Alexandra Monir is the Iranian-American author of five published young adult novels, including the bestselling time-travel romance, Timeless, and its sequel, Timekeeper, as well as the thrillers Suspicion and The Girl in the Picture. HarperCollins published her most recent science fiction novel, The Final Six, on March 6, 2018, and Sony Pictures has already optioned the film rights. Alexandra Monir is additionally a professional recording artist and composer. Alexandra Monir lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and newborn son, where she is at work on her next novel.  

Read more about 
Alexandra Monir   here.


 
Circle of 1000 Featured Member

Homa Taraji is the director of Tara Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in Santa Monica, primarily representing Iranian art. She has been a curator of contemporary Iranian art in the United States since 2002 and has organized several successful exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Boston. Ms. Taraji has established working relationships with art galleries, collectors, and a broad range of artists whose work she represents in the United States. Ms. Taraji is co-founder and president of the American Foundation for Contemporary Iranian Art (www.afcia.org), a nonprofit organization that promotes contemporary Iranian art in the U.S. In parallel, Ms. Taraji is a senior engineer at the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California, where she develops and manages domestic and international customers' space systems technology. Prior to Aerospace, Ms. Taraji was the manager of information systems at the Getty Museum. Before that, she held the position of IT Senior Manager at Ernst & Young Management Consulting. Ms. Taraji was with General Electric Information Services as a project manager of financial applications in New York and Los Angeles. She started her career as a software engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena working on Voyager mission to Jupiter and Saturn. She holds a bachelor's degree in Physics, a master's degree in Electronics from Tehran University and another master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California. Mr. Taraji has been the recipient of a NASA Group Achievement Award, Goddard Trophy, Milstar Recognition Award, GE technical and Aerospace Performance Recognition awards.


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