Board of Directors for PAAIA and IA-100 - PAAIA

Boards

PAAIA Board of Directors

Pouria Abbassi is the Executive Director and CEO of Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA), a non-profit organization that provides retail and student union services to the University of California.

Previously, Abbassi was President and CEO of the Golbanoo Group, a specialty business management & consulting firm supporting large scale real estate developments, emerging renewable resources innovations, and digital health and wellness platforms and technologies.

In his previous engagement, Abbassi led Phoenix Houses of California, Inc. (PHC) as its President, overseeing the entire California operations through four companies, across 17 facilities, over 30 programs and a versatile array of behavioral health services available to Californians. During his tenure, PHC achieved a 70% increase in terms of lives touched, a 30% increase in revenues, and significant diversification of products and services.

Prior to Phoenix House, Abbassi was the CEO of Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), a major regional economic engine generating $1B in annual net economic activity and supporting 12,000 jobs. Abbassi developed and implemented a strategic business plan, built upon three pillars of community, business and environment, to significantly enhance the performance output of the LACC. Under his leadership, LACC achieved unprecedented financial, environmental and market results unmatched in the industry anywhere in the nation. Prior to joining the LACC, he led teams in project engineering, debt financing, financial modeling, environmental analysis and information technology implementation.

A registered mechanical engineer in the State of California and a graduate of UCLA School of Engineering and Anderson School of Management/Executive Management Program, Abbassi has published several scientific papers and is a recipient of over 30 business and performance awards. He sits on the boards of the Los Angeles Business Council, Providence Tarzana Hospital Foundation, Woodbury University, PAAIA, Norooz Celebration Foundation, and works with various other community organizations. Pouria is also an active member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. A firm believer in youth nourishment and education, Abbassi frequently gives presentations on leadership and visioning to student groups ranging from elementary schools through graduate schools and mentors young professionals in their careers.

Forough Hosseini is the Board Chair of PAAIA, Inc. and the Executive VP of Information Systems for ICI Homes, a company founded by her and her husband, Mori. ICI Homes, built on a bold vision, has achieved far-reaching recognition including its consistent ranking among the Top 100 Builders in the nation by Builder Magazine.

Forough earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA from the University of Central Florida. She serves as a board member and/or member of many local and national organizations and participates in and contributes to numerous local, national and international charities and causes.

Forough’s passion for homeless children and education is only second to her passion for her family, especially her three daughters – Nellie, a recent graduate of Harvard Business School, twins – Nina, a recent graduate with a Masters of Science in Real State from the University of Florida and Nika, a recent graduate of the University of Florida’s Law School.

Amir Kazeminia was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. Amir came to the United States in 1979 to continue his education where he earned his Associates’s Degree from Valencia College in Engineering Sciences and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Central Florida in 1983. He was recognized as “Young Engineer of the Year in 1991. 

Amir is the President / CEO of OCI Associates, Inc., a Florida-based Consulting Engineering Firm that offers Mechanical, Electrical, IT/AV, Plumbing and Fire Protection design engineering. His firm serves the state of Florida through 6 office locations as well as Washington DC, Dallas, Norfolk and San Francisco. 

Amir has been married to his wife Zohreh for over 30 years. Their daughter Lilly resides in San Francisco where she works as a Value Added Investment Manager. 

As a member of several Foundations throughout the state, Amir actively supports many local charities. 

Haida Massoud-Mojdehi is an attorney, philanthropist and managing partner of ABPS, a private equity real estate investment firm. Following service as Press/Policy Liaison at the Office of San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, she served as an aide to Congressman Scott Peters of the 52nd Congressional District in San Diego. 

Haida earned her Bachelor’s degree with honors in Communication and a minor in Sociology at the University of California, San Diego and subsequently her Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. 

A community activist for more than 20 years, she has served on the boards of Project Concern International, Outside the Lens, and The Children’s School, La Jolla. She now serves on the board of International Society for Children with Cancer and The Advisory Board of USD School of Law. She is also the Co-Chair of the President’s Council for PCI/Global Communities. She was also one of the founders of Iranian American Scholarship Fund in San Diego, the Chapter Chair of PAAIA and the Co-Chair of The Iranian American Women’s symposium in San Diego.

She left Iran on the eve of the Revolution while in high school and now resides with her husband and two children in La Jolla, California.

Asghar Nosrati is co-founder and principal of Americo Energy Resources, LLC. an Oil and Gas Exploration and Production company specializing in the acquisition, operation and production of oil and gas properties . Founded in 1998 and located in Houston TX, Americo operates hundreds of wells throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico.

Americo through its unique technical ability and inclusive business plan has exploited their assets and enhanced their production multi fold utilizing both vertical and horizontal wells since the company inception.

Mr. Nosrati is also President and CEO of Nosha Enterprises I Inc., a multimillion dollar real estate firm that develops and operates commercial, residential, and multifamily projects.

Mr. Nosrati migrated to the US in 1974. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky. He is a registered professional engineer in both states of Texas and Kentucky.

Mr. Nosrati and his wife Shoaleh are very active in the community and they serve on the board of several nonprofit organizations. Mr. Nosrati currently serves on the Dean advisory board of college of engineering for the University of Kentucky and is Vice chairman of the board. He also serves on the PAAIA boards and is currently the chairman of the IAPAC board.

Mr. Nosrati and his wife Shoaleh have been married for over 40 years and have three children and three grandchildren.

Fred Pezeshkan has been a resident of Southwest Florida for (40) years. Fred is a graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in civil engineering and served Manhattan Construction Company (formerly Kraft Construction Company, Inc.) as Florida Chairman. Fred is a Chairperson Emeritus of the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation Board of Directors. Through Kraft Construction Fred established a scholarship fund at FGCU to benefit the employees and their children, Kraft Construction was one of the first Collier County businesses to partner with FGCU both actively and through endowments.  

Mr. Pezeshkan is very active in the community and has served on or chaired many civic and charitable boards. He is past Chairman of the Collier County EDC. He currently serves on the boards of Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida, Sanibel Captiva Trust Company and Lee Health Foundation. He was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his support of education in Florida, the “Leadership In Fostering Education” award from Edison College and is a member of the Junior Achievement Business Leadership Hall of Fame. For several years, Fred served as Co-Chair of the Annual Celebration of Reading, benefiting the Bush Family Literacy Initiative.  He is an active member of The Florida Council of 100. 

Fred is married to Stephanie and has two sons: Kourosh (KP) and Alexander and two daughters, Karina and Sophia. 

Soroush Richard Shehabi has three decades of experience in media, law, policy and politics, with expertise in energy/environmental security, U.S.-Iran policy and political organizing.  Mr. Shehabi graduated from Harvard University where he studied international relations and global environmental security under Professors Joseph Nye and Stanley Hoffmann and earned high honors for his thesis. He received his JD at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Mr. Shehabi has worked as a financial analyst for Salomon Brothers in New York, as an attorney, first for the law firm of Christensen, White, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser & Shapiro in Los Angeles, and then for the Untied States Department of Justice in Washington during the Clinton and then Bush administrations.  Mr. Shehabi’s experience in politics started with Senator Gary Hart’s 1988 presidential bid and continued with Vice President Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, General Wesley Clark presidential campaign in 2004, where he served as senior policy adviser for energy and environment, and Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign, where he served as deputy political director and constituency director for Pennsylvania under Tony Podesta.

Mr. Shehabi is Vice Chairman of the Board of Friends of the Earth and a member of the Board of the Near East Foundation, one of the oldest non-profit aid and development organizations in America.  Mr. Shehabi is also a founding Board Member of the Iranian American Bar Association and the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), on whose board he has served since inception, from 2002 to 2014.  In 2008, he helped merge IAPAC with the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), on whose board he also serves.

Currently, Mr. Shehabi is the CEO and publisher of Washington Life Magazine and an owner of Celebrity Service International, a global 70-year-old business-to-business media information company based in New York and Los Angeles.  Mr. Shehabi is passionate about documentary films, and was executive producer of the “film-anthropy” project “Kicking It,” a film about the homeless world cup of soccer which debuted at the Sundance, Tribeca and SilverDocs film festivals before recouping its investment and helping support street soccer leagues in the US and abroad through theatrical, online and television distribution.

IA-100 Board

IA-100 is PAAIA’s 501c(3) organization.

Pouria Abbassi is the Executive Director and CEO of Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA), a non-profit organization that provides retail and student union services to the University of California.

Previously, Abbassi was President and CEO of the Golbanoo Group, a specialty business management & consulting firm supporting large scale real estate developments, emerging renewable resources innovations, and digital health and wellness platforms and technologies.

In his previous engagement, Abbassi led Phoenix Houses of California, Inc. (PHC) as its President, overseeing the entire California operations through four companies, across 17 facilities, over 30 programs and a versatile array of behavioral health services available to Californians. During his tenure, PHC achieved a 70% increase in terms of lives touched, a 30% increase in revenues, and significant diversification of products and services.

Prior to Phoenix House, Abbassi was the CEO of Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), a major regional economic engine generating $1B in annual net economic activity and supporting 12,000 jobs. Abbassi developed and implemented a strategic business plan, built upon three pillars of community, business and environment, to significantly enhance the performance output of the LACC. Under his leadership, LACC achieved unprecedented financial, environmental and market results unmatched in the industry anywhere in the nation. Prior to joining the LACC, he led teams in project engineering, debt financing, financial modeling, environmental analysis and information technology implementation.

A registered mechanical engineer in the State of California and a graduate of UCLA School of Engineering and Anderson School of Management/Executive Management Program, Abbassi has published several scientific papers and is a recipient of over 30 business and performance awards. He sits on the boards of the Los Angeles Business Council, Providence Tarzana Hospital Foundation, Woodbury University, PAAIA, Norooz Celebration Foundation, and works with various other community organizations. Pouria is also an active member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. A firm believer in youth nourishment and education, Abbassi frequently gives presentations on leadership and visioning to student groups ranging from elementary schools through graduate schools and mentors young professionals in their careers.

Abbas Ardehali is a thoracic surgeon in Los Angeles, California, and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area including Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center-Santa Monica.  He received his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and has been in practice fro more than 20 years.

Director of Heart and Lung transplant at UCLA for 15 years, Dr. Ardehali led one of the largest and most successful Heart and Lung transplants in the United States and the world. He expanded the UCLA Lung Transplant program ten folds in the past 15 years and led the UCLA Heart Transplant program to be the best ranked program by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2012. He developed and patented a new technology that will improve the care of patients with end stage lung disease that is being licensed by UCLA to a Medical Device Company. This innovative device has been recognized by NIH and UC Center for Accelerated Innovations. He has educated Iranian-American community in heart health through seminars, lectures, and interviews and delivered lectures and participated in several invited seminars in Iran on advances in Heart surgery and Heart and Lung transplantation.

Sherry Bahrambeygui joined The Price Group, LLC in October of 2006 and has been a managing member since 2007. She currently is Vice Chairperson, Executive Vice President and Secretary of Price Charities and Price Family Charitable Fund, each non-profit public benefit corporations. Ms. Bahrambeygui is also a Director of PriceSmart, Inc., a publicly traded company, and Chief Executive Officer of PS Ivanhoe, LLC, a commercial real estate company. She is also a founding partner of the law firm Hosey & Bahrambeygui, Attorneys at Law, LLP, where she specialized in business litigation, employment and health law.

After undergraduate studies at Columbia University and graduating from the University of California at San Diego, she became a licensed stockbroker and worked for Prudential Securities. Ms. Bahrambeygui was Notes and Comments Editor of the Law Review at California Western School of Law. She also received the Westbrook Outstanding Advocacy A ward and the Trustee’s Award for the most laudable achievements in law school as well as placing second in the country in a National Trial Advocacy Competition.

After Law School, Ms. Bahrambeygui was the recipient of the Phillip J. Sharp National Public Service Award by the American Trial Lawyer’s Association in 1998, and she received two Outstanding Trial Lawyer’s Awards by the San Diego Consumer Trial Lawyers in 1999 and again in 2005. Ms. Bahrambeygui was named as one of San Diego’s “40 Under 40,” in 2002, and has been named as one of San Diego’s Super Lawyers consistently since 2008. Ms. Bahrambeygui maintains an “A V” rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating, by her peers in the legal community.

Ms. Bahrambeygui has written and lectured extensively before the American Trial Lawyers of America, Consumer Attorneys of California, San Diego County Medical Society, California Medical Association, Allegheny County Trial Lawyer’s Association and several other legal and professional organizations across the nation. She was a co-drafter of the Patient Bill of Rights by the Foundation for Consumer and Taxpayer Rights. Ms. Bahrambeygui has testified on the impact of fee caps on medical and other tort claims before a US Congressional sub-committee. She has also held appointments to the Special Committee for Medical Professional Liability for the American Bar Association. Ms. Bahrambeygui has served on several additional non-profit Boards of Directors, including La Jolla Country Day School. She is married to Patrick L. Hosey and is the proud mother to 14 year old twin boys.

Omid Farokhzad is the founder and Chief Executive Officer for Seer.  Previously, he was Professor at Harvard Medical School and directed the Center for Nanomedicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has authored over 160 papers and is an inventor of over 200 issued and pending patents. Farokhzad previously founded BIND Therapeutics(NASDAQ: BIND, acquired by Pfizer), Selecta Biosciences (NASDAQ: SELB), and Tarveda Therapeutics. He is a 2018 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.  He is a recipient of the 2016 Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the 2014 Golden Door Award from the International Institute of New England, for his scientific, societal and economic contributions to America as an immigrant; the 2013 RUSNANOPRIZE, one of the largest international nanotechnology prizes for his work on nanomaterial surface modification; and the 2012 Ernst & Young New England Entrepreneur of the Year award.  He received his M.D. and M.A. from Boston University and his M.B.A. from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Forough Hosseini is the Board Chair of PAAIA, Inc. and the Executive VP of Information Systems for ICI Homes, a company founded by her and her husband, Mori. ICI Homes, built on a bold vision, has achieved far-reaching recognition including its consistent ranking among the Top 100 Builders in the nation by Builder Magazine.

Forough earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA from the University of Central Florida. She serves as a board member and/or member of many local and national organizations and participates in and contributes to numerous local, national and international charities and causes.

Forough’s passion for homeless children and education is only second to her passion for her family, especially her three daughters – Nellie, a recent graduate of Harvard Business School, twins – Nina, a recent graduate with a Masters of Science in Real State from the University of Florida and Nika, a recent graduate of the University of Florida’s Law School.

Asghar Nosrati is co-founder and principal of Americo Energy Resources, LLC. an Oil and Gas Exploration and Production company specializing in the acquisition, operation and production of oil and gas properties . Founded in 1998 and located in Houston TX, Americo operates hundreds of wells throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico.

Americo through its unique technical ability and inclusive business plan has exploited their assets and enhanced their production multi fold utilizing both vertical and horizontal wells since the company inception.

Mr. Nosrati is also President and CEO of Nosha Enterprises I Inc., a multimillion dollar real estate firm that develops and operates commercial, residential, and multifamily projects.

Mr. Nosrati migrated to the US in 1974. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky. He is a registered professional engineer in both states of Texas and Kentucky.

Mr. Nosrati and his wife Shoaleh are very active in the community and they serve on the board of several nonprofit organizations. Mr. Nosrati currently serves on the Dean advisory board of college of engineering for the University of Kentucky and is Vice chairman of the board. He also serves on the PAAIA boards and is currently the chairman of the IAPAC board.

Mr. Nosrati and his wife Shoaleh have been married for over 40 years and have three children and three grandchildren.

Fred Pezeshkan has been a resident of Southwest Florida for (40) years. Fred is a graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in civil engineering and served Manhattan Construction Company (formerly Kraft Construction Company, Inc.) as Florida Chairman. Fred is a Chairperson Emeritus of the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation Board of Directors. Through Kraft Construction Fred established a scholarship fund at FGCU to benefit the employees and their children, Kraft Construction was one of the first Collier County businesses to partner with FGCU both actively and through endowments. 

Mr. Pezeshkan is very active in the community and has served on or chaired many civic and charitable boards. He is past Chairman of the Collier County EDC. He currently serves on the boards of Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida, Sanibel Captiva Trust Company and Lee Health Foundation. He was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his support of education in Florida, the “Leadership In Fostering Education” award from Edison College and is a member of the Junior Achievement Business Leadership Hall of Fame. For several years, Fred served as Co-Chair of the Annual Celebration of Reading, benefiting the Bush Family Literacy Initiative.  He is an active member of The Florida Council of 100. 

Fred is married to Stephanie and has two sons: Kourosh (KP) and Alexander and two daughters, Karina and Sophia. 

Pirooz Parvarandeh is an internationally renowned technologist, investor, and consultant. Until March 2015, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Maxim Integrated Products, a position he had held since 2009. Prior to that, he had been a Group President of several of the company’s analog business units since 2005. Pirooz joined Maxim in 1987 and brought Maxim several years of design experience. Pirooz is the founder of the Iranian American Contributions Project.

As the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Pirooz championed efforts to stimulate technical innovation throughout Maxim, managing the company’s Technology Development and Innovation Group which comprises Process Technology R&D, Electronic Design Automation (EDA), Modeling, and ESD. Pirooz also oversaw Maxim Labs, an organization chartered to deliver fundamental innovative, breakthrough technology for the company. Under his leadership, selected engineers have had the opportunity to focus for long periods of time on difficult problems without interruptions. In recent years Maxim has seen a significant rise in the number of its patent applications.

Over the years Pirooz has been an industry leader in developing new technologies. In 2012 he joined the CTO Forum Advisory Board, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing industry’s most important technical issues. He holds three patents in the U.S. and has 14 other patents pending. Pirooz holds BSEE and MSEE degrees from the California Institute of Technology.

Faraj Saghri is a Vice Chairman of J.P. Morgan and has served in a number of leadership roles over 30 years with the firm. His role at the firm today is to help oversee strategic client relationships across J.P. Morgan.

He recently served as Chief Executive Officer of J.P. Morgan’s U.K. and Northern European Wealth Management business and as a Member of the Board of J.P. Morgan International Bank. He was Chairman of the London Management Committee and a member of both the European and U.S. Private Banks’ Operating Committees.

Faraj founded the Private Bank’s Global Financial Sponsor Group. The Group provides wealth management advice to partners in the private equity industry and other strategic clients of J.P. Morgan. The Group oversees $65 billion of client assets for 900 partners and serves the banking needs of more than 100 leading private equity firms.

Faraj joined J.P. Morgan’s heritage institution, Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, in 1987. His first assignment was with the Corporate Finance Group’s North American Division. He later joined the Private Banking & Securities Industry Division and helped establish their Los Angeles and Chicago offices.

Faraj is a graduate of Trinity College, Connecticut and attended the University of Virginia’s Graduate School of Foreign Affairs. Other Memberships, Boards, and Activities:

• Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, New York
• Vice Chairman and Founder of the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian-Americans
• Board of Fellows of Trinity College, Connecticut
• J.P. Morgan’s Military Veterans’ Affairs Committee
• Council of the Serpentine Galleries, London
• New York Yacht Club, New York
• Queenwood Golf Club, Ottershaw, U.K.
• Aspetuck Valley Country Club, Weston, Connecticut
• Faraj is an avid sailor and golfer and lives in Connecticut with his wife, and two sons.

Soroush Richard Shehabi has three decades of experience in media, law, policy and politics, with expertise in energy/environmental security, U.S.-Iran policy and political organizing.  Mr. Shehabi graduated from Harvard University where he studied international relations and global environmental security under Professors Joseph Nye and Stanley Hoffmann and earned high honors for his thesis. He received his JD at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Mr. Shehabi is Vice Chairman of the Board of Friends of the Earth and a member of the Board of the Near East Foundation, one of the oldest non-profit aid and development organizations in America.  Mr. Shehabi is also a founding Board Member of the Iranian American Bar Association and the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), on whose board he has served since inception, from 2002 to 2014.  In 2008, he helped merge IAPAC with the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), on whose board he also serves.

Currently, Mr. Shehabi is the CEO and publisher of Washington Life Magazine and an owner of Celebrity Service International, a global 70-year-old business-to-business media information company based in New York and Los Angeles.  Mr. Shehabi is passionate about documentary films, and was executive producer of the “film-anthropy” project “Kicking It,” a film about the homeless world cup of soccer which debuted at the Sundance, Tribeca and SilverDocs film festivals before recouping its investment and helping support street soccer leagues in the US and abroad through theatrical, online and television distribution.

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