Niosha nafei

Niosha has been recognized by The World Affairs Council, The Society of Iranian Professionals, The Persian Center, and numerous other organizations for her contributions towards not just preserving Iranian culture and heritage in the US, but expanding it.

As an active member of the Iranian community Niosha has been promoting culture and art throughout the United States. Niosha and her academy travel extensively and perform at numerous "Heritage Day" and "Cultural International Day" celebrations and have a big part in promoting Iranian heritage and art.

Mani Ardalan Farhadi

A global thinker and creative thought leader, Mani Ardalan Farhadi’s experience spans three decades of architectural planning. Her leadership extends into volunteer duties: Appointment as Board of Trustee for Los Gatos Union School District, and Appointment on the Bond Oversight Committee, serving as Chairperson for 6 years, for which she received the ‘Citizen Architect’ award. She actively volunteers for WIA (Women in Architecture) Silicon Valley and Wellesley College Alumnae Association. She lives in Los Gatos, CA with her husband of 30+ years (Shervin Farhadi). They are proud of their two sons, Rodd Farhadi, a talented musical theatre actor living between New York & Los Angeles, and Ryon Farhadi, a student and volleyball player at University of Washington, Seattle. ​

PARISA CAVIANI

Ms. Parisa Caviani is a leading expert in global transformation programs. She has developed and implemented organizational maturity models and execution roadmaps for complex products and programs in consumer electronics, start-ups, multinational technology/e-commerce companies and international television networks.
Ms. Caviani has spearheaded numerous philanthropic projects dedicated to community empowerment, children and families. She is the founder of Serenite Foundation, an organization committed to supporting families navigate pediatric cancer journey or other life threatening diseases.
She is a graduate of Santa Clara University with a degree in Communication/Film & TV Production, Six Sigma Black Belt SSBBP, and Certified Change Management, CCMP from Cornell University.

Touria morbin

Touria is a State Bar certified specialist in Public Interest Law, and has devoted her adult life to helping humanitarian causes and non-profit organizations. She is a member of the State Bar of California, and the Iranian American Bar Association.

Fardad Jamali

Fardad Jay Jamali is the CEO and Founder of Enviro Safetech, an industrial safety consultancy located in San Jose, California. Fardad has been a long time volunteer, and supporter of the Iranian community, and has helped stage manage and produce numerous dance events.

Anthony shay

Since 1958 when he was invited to attend the University of Tehran, Anthony Shay has been in love with the language, music, customs, and of course, dance of Iran. As a dancer and choreographer specializing in dances from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, Anthony Shay has spent the past 50 years creating over 200 choreographies and has become the de-facto standard of excellence for the technical and artistic appreciation and evolution of Iranian cultural dance in the US. In 1993, Shay entered the new Ph.D. program in Dance History and Theory at the University of California, Riverside, where he also taught a course in Iranian dance. Shay has founded and directed several dance groups including: Village Dancers, AMAN Folk Ensemble, and the award winning AVAZ International Dance Theatre (since 1977).

Chris Horton

With the motto “service above self,” Chris has a passion for community, a spirit of giving, and skill for community prosperity. He’s known as an active business leader and spreads joy through his numerous philanthropic endeavors. Most notably, volunteering weekly to teach financial literacy at a local homeless shelter.

Chris serves as the President of Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers, Vice President of the Billy DeFrank Community Center serving the Silicon Valley LGBTQ community. Chris serves as the Vice Chair of the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Boy Scouts, Vice President of Business Development with Napa United Soccer and Chief Development Officer with Milpitas Christian School.