The Iranian Conference @Harvard is a global conference that will convene students, academics, and professionals with an interest in better understanding Iran and Iranian culture, showcasing perspectives and insights on topics of interest including the arts, science, and business.
The Iranian Conference @Harvard is presented by Harvard Iranian Alumni (HIA) in partnership with Harvard students, faculty, and affiliates.
The Iranian Conference @Harvard is presented by Harvard Iranian Alumni (HIA) in partnership with Harvard students, faculty, and affiliates.
2019 Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Firoozeh Dumas
New York Times Best Selling Author
New York Times Best Selling Author
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Firoozeh Dumas is the author of two New York Times Best Sellers, Funny in Farsi and Laughing without an Accent. Her award winning middle grade novel, It Ain't So Awful, Falafel, is currently a finalist for the California Young Reader Medal. Firoozeh has also written for the New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, Los Angeles Times, and many other outlets. You may have heard her commentaries on National Public Radio.
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OPENING TALK - A LIFE OF PUBLIC SERVICE
Cyrus Habib
Lieutenant Governor, Washington State
Lieutenant Governor, Washington State
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A three-time cancer survivor, Lieutenant Governor Habib has been fully blind since age eight. He is the first and only Iranian-American official to hold statewide elected office in the country. He has been recognized as a political rising star by multiple publications including the Washington Post and Governing Magazine. He is a graduate of Columbia University, Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School.
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FIRESIDE CHAT: SUCCESSFULLY DRIVING CHANGE IN LARGE ORGANIZATIONS
Shaygan Kheradpir
Chief Executive Officer, Coriant Inc.
Chief Executive Officer, Coriant Inc.
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Shaygan is best known for driving transformational change through the use of technology at Verizon where he was CTIO, at Barclays bank as COO, at Juniper Networks and Coriant as CEOs. He currently works with leading private equity and high-tech start-ups on next generation applications for 5g, industrial internet, cybersecurity, machine learning & blockchain.
Shaygan received his BS, MS & Ph.D. in electrical & computer engineering from Cornell University, served on the advisory board of US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST-VCAT) during President Obama's administration, is on the board of MTN group, and is on the Cornell University Engineering Council. He was inducted in CIO Hall of Fame in 2006 and selected as outstanding young engineer by national academy of engineering in 1990. |
IRANIAN-AMERICANS SHAPING THE GAME
Leila Rahimi
Host, Anchor and Reporter, NBC Sports Chicago Leila Rahimi is a host, anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Chicago. She hosts baseball pregame and postgame shows for both the Cubs and the White Sox, along with having reported during game broadcasts, and covering the Bulls, Blackhawks and Bears in talk shows, and social media programs. In 2018, Rahimi served as the rinkside reporter for NBC's broadcast of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude in 3.5 years from the University of North Texas, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. In 2002, she was named the Broadcast Journalism Student of the Year, as a junior. |
Mayar Zokaei
NBA Certified Agent, National Basketball Players Association Mayar Zokaei is an NBA Certified Agent with the National Basketball Players Association. Mayar was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States at the age of 4. He grew up in Southern California's San Fernando Valley and attended college at UCLA and later, law school at Southwestern University and the University of Michigan.
Mayar resides in Los Angeles, California and Portland, Oregon with his wife Sona, 3 boys - Darius, Mayson & Cassius - and 1 princess, Shyla. He has been featured in Forbes Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Slam Magazine, the LA Times & Yahoo Sports. |
Cyrus Mehri
Partner, Mehri & Skalet Author, NFL Rooney Rule Cyrus Mehri is a founding partner of Mehri & Skalet, PLLC., where he litigates cases involving discrimination, civil and consumer rights violations and corporate fraud.
He played a key role in the drafting and adoption of the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” which required that at least one minority candidate be interviewed for vacant head coach or general manager positions. The Rooney Rule has been used as a model in other sports, including in the English Football League, and outside of sports, including at leading companies such as Xerox, Intel, Facebook, and Pinterest. Mr. Mehri graduated from Hartwick College and Cornell Law School, where he served as articles editor for the Cornell International Law Journal. |
Shar Pourdanesh
Former NFL Player Entrepreneur Shar Pourdanesh is a Hall of Fame football player, an entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Shar was born in Iran, moving to U.S. in 1980, where he joined the University of Nevada, on a football scholarship.
In 1996, Shar joined the Washington Redskins of the NFL, where he continued playing at left tackle. During his 5+ years in the NFL, Shar started over 50 games, playing in a total of 60, for the Redskins, Steelers, and Raiders. After retiring from football, Shar launched five different companies, three of which went public. He has also spent time as a public speaker, lecturing to entrepreneurs around the U.S. about business development. |
FIRESIDE CHAT: COMEDY AS AN ACTOR AND A PRODUCER
Max Amini
Comedian, Producer
Comedian, Producer
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Max Amini is an Iranian American comedian. He is trilingual in English, Persian and Azerbaijani. Max was born in Tucson, AZ and was raised in Washington, D.C. He graduated from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television in 2004. Max has numerous film and television credits, including NBC's Heroes, regular appearances on Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia, and a leading role in the film How Beer Pong Saved my Life.
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RETHINKING OUR PLATES: ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH CUISINE
Hamid Salimian
Chef and Culinary Consultant Born in Iran, Hamid grew up on the edge of the Caspian Sea and learned about traditional Persian cuisine amid his father’s citrus orchards and dairy farm. Soon after his family relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Hamid enrolled in culinary and pastry arts at Vancouver Community College for his first formal training as a chef and graduated at the top of his class.
Today, Hamid acts as a culinary consultant for national brands such as Earls Kitchen + Bar, and shares his knowledge and expertise with a new generation of chefs as an instructor in the VCC Culinary Arts program. He is also the co-founder of Nextjen, a gluten-free foods company, and part-owner of new food concept Popina Canteen, located Granville Island Vancouver. |
Cynthia Samanian
Founder and CEO, Hidden Rhythm Cynthia Samanian is the founder and CEO of Hidden Rhythm, an experiential marketing agency for organic food and wellness brands. From interactive dinners to pop-up experiences, Hidden Rhythm’s one-of-a-kind events showcase brands to influencers, media, and more.
Growing up in a Persian family, Cynthia is no stranger to dinner parties and how sharing food sparks meaningful connection. After working in finance and tech, she entered the food space to design experiences that capture the magic at the dinner table. Cynthia received her MBA from Harvard Business School and currently resides in San Francisco. When she isn’t in the kitchen, Cynthia is exploring the California Coast, skiing in the Sierras, or visiting family in her hometown of Seattle. |
Behzad Jamshidi
Chef and Founder, Moosh NYC Born and raised in Vancouver, B.C., Behzad Jamshidi's most recent endeavor was with the Michelin-starred Gabriel Kreuther in New York City. Being mentored in the kitchens of Michelin-starred and world-renowned chefs, such as Daniel Boulud and Massimo Bottura, he gained an obsession for fine dining and service.
Through Moosh, Chef Behzad hopes to create platforms and communities for people who aspire to promote communal experience, create social changes, and celebrate the diversity within food culture. By creating a community collection of artists, and using them exclusively for our projects, we are showing how grateful we are for the people and resources who enable us. |
Naz Riahi
Founder and Creative Director, Bitten Naz Riahi is a writer and founder and creative director of Bitten, an event series and consultancy that positions food as a pillar of culture. Through Bitten, Naz explores the intersection of food and art, creativity, justice, technology, politics and much more, aiming to include a vast and diverse audience in inspiring conversations.
Naz's work with Bitten has been featured in Inc. Bon Appétit, Teen Vogue, Refinery29 and other publications. Through her consultancy Naz has worked with brands and agencies, such as Wacoal, Pepsi, Dig Inn, APCO Worldwide, JWT, to advise on positioning, trends, diversity and thought leadership. In 2016, Naz was one of 250 change makers invited to President Obama's White House for SXSL, after which President Obama publicly recognized her work. |
PHOTO EXHIBIT: IRAN THROUGH HER LENS, THEN AND NOW
Randy H. Goodman
Photojournalist
Photojournalist
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Ms. Randy H. Goodman is a renowned photojournalist and one of a handful of American journalists to work in Iran since the 1979 revolution. She captured life in the Islamic Republic during the U.S. Embassy takeover, the Iran-Iraq war, and another pivotal time in US-Iran relations, the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Her solo exhibits have been shown in the US and Europe and her photographs published in books, newspapers and magazines throughout the world
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ENGAGING CLIENTS: PERSIAN WISDOM & MODERN ADVISORY
Tara Azimi
Partner, McKinsey and Co Ms. Azimi is a Partner in McKinsey’s Healthcare Practice, based in Washington, D.C. She serves leading public sector institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and multilateral organizations. Her areas of expertise and experience include: business unit strategy, market access strategy, and organizational change.
She holds a bachelors degree in International Affairs and Business from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. |
Mehdi Khodad
Partner, Cooley LLP Mr. Khodadad has a broad practice representing leading technology and life sciences companies and their private equity and venture capital sponsors. He has counseled corporate clients, entrepreneurs and investors on a wide variety of transactions, including private and public financing, corporate restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buy-outs and related private equity transactions, cross-border and other structured corporate transactions.
As a specialist in securities and corporate law, Mr. Khodadad also regularly counsels corporate clients and investors on a wide variety of securities law and corporate governance matters. |
Azad Badakhsh
Partner, Moelis & Company Mr. Badakhsh is a Partner in Moelis & Company's Aerospace & Defense practice. He has led a number of M&A transactions across the Aerospace & Defence industry. Prior to joining Moelis & Company in 2010, Mr. Badakhsh was a Director in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at UBS Investment Bank.
Mr Badakhsh holds a B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Finance and Accounting from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. |
