PAAIA Board Members Among Recipients of the 2014 Ellis Island Medal of Honor

April 2, 2014, Washington, D.C. – Eight highly accomplished Iranian Americans will be awarded the 2014 Ellis Island Medal of Honor on May 10th, 2014 for distinguishing “themselves within their own ethnic [group] while exemplifying the values of the American way of life.”  Chairman of PAAIA’s board of directors, Ali Mojdehi, and PAAIA FUND board member Sherry Bahrambeygui are among those being honored.

The other honorees include:
Dr. Kamiar Alaei – Director of Global Institute for Health and Human Rights at the University of  Albany
Ms. Iran Davar Ardalan – Senior Producer of NPR’s Tell Me More
Mr. Shaygan Kheradpir – CEO of Juniper Networks, Inc.
Dr. Aria Mehrabi – Principal of Pacific Star Capital
Dr. Darioush Nasseri – Orthopedic Surgeon at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital
Mr. Pejman Nozad – Founding General Partner of Amidzad Partners

The honorees join 56 other Iranian Americans who have been awarded the Medal of Honor since NECO’s finding in 1986. Approximately 100 individuals are awarded this prestigious medal on an annual basis at a ceremony on Ellis Island.

Established in 1986 by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO), the Ellis Island Medals of Honor annually pays tribute to the ancestry groups that comprise America’s unique cultural mosaic. The Ellis Island Medal of Honor ranks among the nation’s most prestigious awards. The Medals are presented on Ellis Island, in a dramatic ceremony, to American citizens of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their communities, their nation, and the world.

The Ellis Island Medals of Honor are sanctioned by the U.S. Congress and the recipients’ names are listed in the Congressional Record. Six Presidents of the United States, Nobel Prize winners, athletes, leaders of industry, artists, and others are among the remarkable group of individuals to have previously received the award.

PAAIA congratulates this year’s medal recipients and thanks them for their contributions to the richness and diversity of American life.

Click here to view the full list of the 2014 Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients.

Click here to view the full list of Iranian American honorees from inception.