Iranian Americans Contribute to Richness of American Life

Hamid Moghadam	Mori Hosseini

November 26, 2013, Washington, D.C. – The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) congratulates Hamid Moghadam on being named the overall winner of the 2013 National Ernst and Young (EY) Entrepreneur Of The Year and Mori Hosseini on becoming the Chairman of Florida’s State University System Board of Governors. Both Moghadam and Hosseini are well-known for their passion and support of the Iranian American community and causes.

Recognized as one of the most prestigious business award programs in the country, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award celebrates the country’s most innovative business leaders. The 2013 award winners were selected by an independent panel of judges from more than 250 regional award recipients. Moghadam, the Chairman and CEO of Proligis, was recognized in the Real Estate, Construction and Lodging category.

“Entrepreneurship is embedded in this industrial logistics real estate firm’s DNA by design. Moghadam created a decentralized structure that allows his company to combine a global reach with a strong local presence — and to give back to communities all over the world,” said Bryan Pearce, EY Americas Director, Entrepreneur Of The Year.

The State University System of Florida is a constitutional body led by a 17-member Board of Governors. The system has 12 universities and more than 335,000 students, making it the second-largest public university system in the nation. Hosseini, chairman and CEO of Intervest Construction, Inc, has served on the Board of Governors since 2010, and will assume the chairmanship in January 2014.

“I’m so proud of the work of this Board of Governors. Over the past few years, under the leadership of Dean Colson and those chairs before him, we have seen a transformation of our State University System,” Hosseini said. “We are more cohesive than ever before, together dedicated to ensuring access, academic quality and accountability for our students.”

Moghadam and Hosseini are both significant contributors to programs that support the Iranian American community, foster understanding of the Iranian culture, and/or give back to the communities in which they live.  Moghadam, an Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient, founded the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies at Stanford University and was a co-sponsor of the “Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: A New Beginning” exhibition in San Francisco. In addition, he was the recipient of PAAIA’s 2013 Career Achievement Award.

Hosseini, also an Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient, is recognized for his countless professional, industry, civic and personal contributions to the community and the nation. He  serves on several corporate, civic and public boards and associations and is an ardent supporter of Iranian culture and heritage.

PAAIA congratulates Hamid Moghadam and Mori Hosseini on these distinguished honors.