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IAAB Staff Narges Bajoghli, Executive Director Narges Bajoghli graduated with honors from Wellesley College with a BA in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. After completing her thesis on the ways in which Iranian women reinterpret the sharia in the public sphere, she was awarded the Susan Knafel Fellowship to study at the University of Tehran and further pursue her research. She spent one year at the University of Tehran’s Faculty of Law and Political Science. While in Iran, Ms. Bajoghli worked on various projects in Bam with local NGOs, spending most of her time focusing on education centers for elementary school-aged children. She also worked on a PBS Wide Angel documentary on the Iranian press and the 2005 presidential elections, Red Lines and Deadlines. Ms. Bajoghli also interned at Atieh Bahar Consulting in its news and political analysis section. Her focus on Middle East Politics has led her study at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (SOAS), as well as in Rabat, Morocco. Since 2002, Ms. Bajoghli has been a country coordinator in Nicaragua for Global Learning, an international non-profit organization involved in public education across Central America. She has spent extensive periods of time in Central America in her capacity as coordinator for Global Learning. Ms. Bajoghli has been actively involved in allowing American students to study and explore Cuban society. She has organized and led university groups to study the literature and history of Cuba at La Casa de Las Americas in Havana where she also spent time studying at the Universidad de la Havana the previous year. Ms. Bajoghli, along with Ms. Paydar, is the founder and Executive Director of IAAB.
Nikoo Paydar is
Gallery Director of John Landrum Bryant Gallery in New York City and has a
particular interest in contemporary African, Middle Eastern and Latin
American Art. Ms. Paydar graduated with honors with a B.A. in History of Art
from Tufts University, which recently awarded her recognition as an “Onward
and Upward” Alumni. As a student at Tufts, Ms. Paydar received a Citizenship
and Public Service Scholar award and Massachusetts Campus Compact grant to
travel in Iran and produce a photographic essay on Iranian lifestyle and
culture. She curated exhibits of her photos from this trip in Boston (2002)
and London (2003). Ms. Paydar studied for one year at the School of Oriental
and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where she focused on art
theory and African Art. Ms. Paydar was selected for and participated in the
Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspective (TILIP), a one
year program for 26 students from the US, China and Hong Kong. With TILIP,
Ms. Paydar organized an international symposium on China’s Foreign Policy at
the University of Hong Kong in March 2004. Ms. Paydar has traveled
extensively as a photographer, musician, and art historian in Iran, India,
Nepal, China, Korea, Egypt, the UK, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Greece, and
others.
Ms. Paydar, along with Ms. Bajoghli, is the
founder and Executive Director of IAAB Ramin Bajoghli, Director of Development, Project Coordinator for IAAB Javan Ramin Bajoghli is in his final year at Boston University where he is studying philosophy and political science. Mr. Bajoghli has directed a short documentary, Only In Iran!, exploring the dual identities of Iranian-Americans. He is currently working on his next documentary, In Search of Socrates. In addition to working with IAAB since its initiation in 2003, Mr. Bajoghli actively participates as a coordinator with Global Learning, an international non-profit/non-governmental organization working in public schools across Central America and the United States.
Nooshin Hosseini
is in her final year at Wellesley College where she is studying neuroscience
and is an active member of the Persian Students' Association. She was born
and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and has been involved in the
Iranian American Cultural Association of Northeast PA since she was very
young. Ms. Hosseini regrets that she as of yet has never been able to go to
Iran, but hopes that will change in the near future. Mani Parcham, IAAB Javan, Iranian-American Leadership Camp Mani Parcham is in his final year at George Mason University, pursuing an English degree with a concentration in creative writing as well as a minor in International and Comparative Politics. Mr. Parcham was born in Iran but raised in the Northern Virginia suburbs outside of Washington D.C. Although he has lived in the United States since he was six, Mr. Parcham has always been exposed to the culture and language of his Iranian roots. But it was not until his attendance at the first IAAB conference in Boston that Mr. Parcham’s curiosity about those roots reemerged. It was from his elation and willingness to be involved that he was asked to join IAAB and be part of something he considers to be unique and special. Mr. Parcham WORK AT CAMP.
Amy Malek is a recent Master's graduate from New
York University in the Program for Near Eastern Studies. Ms. Malek was born
and raised in Atlanta, GA to an Iranian father and an American mother. Her
interest in the
Middle East led her to
double major in Middle Eastern Studies and International Studies, with a
minor in Persian language and literature at Emory University. Leyla Pope, IAAB Art Director
Leyla Pope, born in Tehran
in 1975, has an Iranian mother and English father. She lived in Iran until
the age of five and then moved to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia
before moving to London at the age of ten. Ms. Pope has an undergraduate
degree from Cambridge University in Persian and French literature. As part
of her studies she lived in Iran for a year, where she climbed Damavand and
organized a joint expedition of British and Iranian women to climb Alam Kuh,
Iran's second highest mountain. In 2003 Ms. Pope completed a master’s degree
in Middle East Studies at London University, SOAS, focusing on films and
anthropology of the region and then spent a year in Washington DC. She is
now based in Europe and can be found mostly in the Alps working as a
freelance documentary maker. Taraneh Matin, IAAB Art
Taraneh Matin is a third year student at
Wellesley College, majoring in International Relations with a focus on the
Middle East. She has served as the president of the Wellesley Persian
Students' Association, and has spent time in Iran interning for various NGOs
and traveling the country. Sogole Moin, Director of Finances, Project Coordinator for Iranian-American Leadership Camp
Sogole Moin is a student
at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and a recent graduate from
Wellesley College in Massachusetts. While at Wellesley College, she helped
found the Wellesley Persian Students’ Association with Ms. Bajoghli. Ms.
Moin has been responsible for organizing various film festivals, lectures,
and cultural events pertaining to the Iranian community for the New England
region. She has been working with IAAB since its initiation in 2003 in the
capacity of Director of Development and now as a project coordinator. Azadeh Pourzand, Director of Public Relations
Azadeh Pourzand is a
junior at Oberlin College. She is majoring in Comparative literature with a
minor in Spanish and Creative Writing. Ms. Pourzand is the co-founder of The
Middle East Student Association of Oberlin College. She lived in Tehran
until the age of 16 and wants to focus on the matters related to Iran in her
writings. Shabnam Sharbatoghlie, Project Coordinator for Iranian-American Leadership Camp
Shabnam Sharbatoghlie is a
second year student at Wellesley College where she is double majoring in
International Relations, with a concentration in political science, and
French. Ms. Sharbatoghlie has spent the last three years as Co-Director of
Marketing for a financial management firm in Wellesley, MA. She has also
been actively involved as a community organizer and volunteer. Ms.
Sharbatoghlie served as the president of The Sunday Club, an organization
that brought together high school teens to spend their Sunday afternoons
volunteering with the elderly in their communities. She has also been a
volunteer for the Radiology and Maternity Department of the Newton-Wellesley
Hospital for three years. Ms. Sharbatoghlie is currently the president of
the Wellesley Persian Students’ Association, and has spent many summers
traveling extensively throughout Iran. Sheena Shirakhon, Project Connection, Bam and Beyond, IAAB Javan
Sheena Shirakhon is a
sophomore at Columbia University, majoring in Middle Eastern and Asian
Languages and Cultures and is the Vice President of Columbia Iranian
Student’s Association. Ms. Shirakhon helped IAAB build alliances in Shiraz
in 2005, where she developed relationships with NGOs and universities to
involve them in Project Connection – a resource guide that connects second
generation Iranians and Iranian institutions, in collaboration with ISG.
Ramin Ostadhosseini is a third year student at
George Mason University,
double majoring in Economics and Spanish. He is currently studying
Economics in Chile, where he resides. The son of Iranian immigrants, he
frequently visits Iran. Mr. Ostadhosseini is tri-lingual in English, Farsi,
and Spanish, having spent extensive time in Chile, Nicaragua and Mexico. He
actively participates in Global Learning, a non-profit organization
dedicated to education in Central American countries. He has spent time
working in San Jorge, Nicaragua. While in the States, he was the CEO of
Teleconnect, a mobile phone company based in Fairfax, VA.
Shiveh Reed is an Iranian-American third year
student at Wellesley College. She is currently living and studying in
Aix, France
where she is focusing on French history. Ms. Reed has spent time traveling
throughout Iran and is academically interested in the history and culture of
Middle Eastern countries. Chris Speedie, Summer 2005 Intern
Chris Speedie is a senior
at Tufts University double majoring in International Relations and Spanish
with a focus on Global Conflict, Cooperation and Justice. Mr. Speedie spent
the summer in New York City interning with IAAB on various research
projects. He worked extensively on IAAB*Art’s new project as well as our
fall seminar, Bam and Beyond: Building Alliances Between Iranian and Iranian
Diaspora NGOs, the Private Sector, and Universities. Mina Tehrani, Volunteer
Mina Tehrani is a senior
at the Bronx High School of Science in New York City. She goes to Iran every
summer to visit family and travel the country, and she has attended several
months of school in Tehran. This past summer, Mina made a visit to Bam with
SIB, a Tehran-based NGO, and she hopes to return next year to teach English
in the organization’s community center. Mina is fluent in English, Persian,
Spanish, and proficient in Hungarian. As she continues her studies, she
hopes to pursue her interest in languages. Nima Bajoghli, IAAB Translators
Nima
Bajoghli is a computer engineer in Iran. He is currently the founder and
head of a computer engineering company in Isfahan. Bijan Farnoudi, IAAB Translators Bijan Farnoudi, German-Iranian, was born in Munich, Germany. He holds a Master’s degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, in International Politics. After graduating from SOAS, Bijan worked with the United Nations in Thailand and Iran, as well as a free-lance journalist.
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