Board of Trustees

Ali C. Razi - Chairman

Ali C. Razi is the President of The Stratham Group of Companies. He is a Trustee Emeritus of California State University and member of the Board of Governors of California State University Foundation. Ali was named 2006 Builder of the Year by the Building Industry Association of Southern California.  In May of 2011, Ali was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor giving tribute to those who have made enduring contributions to our nation.

Ali also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Midnight Mission, which provides numerous services to individuals on Skid Row including serving 2,000 meals a day, providing 300 beds for shelter, medical and legal services, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Ali is a graduate of King’s College, London University in Civil Engineering and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He also was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by California State University – San Bernardino and has been a lecturer at Tehran Polytechnic University.

Hormoz Ameri - Trustee

Hormoz Ameri heads the Naftex group of companies which are engaged in the business of exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States since 1988.  Naftex’s activities range from drilling and production to acquisitions and divestitures of properties and companies in the energy field.
Hormoz is the immediate past Chairman and member of the Executive Committee of the California Independent Petroleum Association representing approximately 450 independent crude oil and natural gas producers, royalty owners, and service and supply companies operating in California.  He is also the immediate past Chairman and member of the Executive Committee of Stanford University’s Petroleum Investments Committee and a member of the Board of Stanford University’s School of Earth Sciences.
Hormoz is the 2012 recipient of the Ferguson Award conferred on an individual who has greatly contributed to the success and advancement of California’s oil and gas industry.  He has established the Hormoz Ameri Energy Systems Laboratory at the California Polytechnic University’s School of Engineering.
Hormoz received his Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from California Polytechnic University and his Masters of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford University.

Mark Amin - Trustee

Mark Amin is currently the CEO of Sobini Films, a motion picture production and financing company. Through Sobini Films, Amin has produced a diverse slate of feature films, including The Prince & Me, Peaceful Warrior, and Chrissa Stands Strong. Projects in development include Moment to Remember and Eliza Graves, based on a short story by Edgar Allen Poe.

Mr. Amin served as Vice Chairman and member of the board of directors of Lionsgate Entertainment from 2000 to 2009. During Amin’s nine year term as Vice Chairman of Lionsgate, the company produced and distributed such critically acclaimed films as Monster’s Ball and Crash, as well as blockbuster hits such as Saw and the Tyler Perry ‘Madea’ franchise.

Prior to his work with Lionsgate and Sobini, Amin founded Trimark Holdings, Inc. and served as the company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Under Amin’s leadership, Trimark soon developed into one of the entertainment industry’s leading production and distribution companies. Amin’s past credits include the critically acclaimed Eve’s Bayou and Frida.

In addition to film production, he is actively involved in the acquisition and development of Pistachio and Almond orchards in central California, with over 5000 acres under management.

Dar Gabbay - Trustee

Dariush Gabbay is the COO and Co-Founder of Gibson Overseas Inc., a Manufacturing, Sales and Marketing firm of Kitchen and Tabletop products here in United States and over twenty five other countries around the globe.
Gibson has received multiple awards from the National Housewares Association as Top Tabletop Resource and has been awarded Vendor of the Year from such prestigious retailers as Walmart, Target and Sears/Kmart.

Gibson employes over six hundred in the United States and over one hundred and fifty in it's twenty offices in the far east. Gibson utilizes over one hundred and fifty manufacturing facilities around the world and is considered the largest maker of Chinese ceramic worldwide.

The Gabbay family under the leadership of Dariush's father, late Nejat Gabbay has been involved in numerous Educational and Community Organizations and Charities.

Dariush obtained his BS in Civil Engineering from University of Colorado,Boulder and his MS in Structural Design from Stanford University.

Dr. Shazad Ghanbari - Trustee

Dr. Ghanbari is the Design Principal at Westgroup Designs, an award-winning design firm whose work has been recognized and published nationally and internationally. Dr. Ghanbari served on the AIA/OC Board of Directors from 2002-2006 and devoted his time as Director of Education. He was part of the Steering Committee for AIA/ Chapman University which inspired his involvement in the Steering Committee AIA/ San Diego School of Architecture. This collaboration catalyzed the research, vision and planning for Orange County’s first School of Architecture to be opened in September 2011.

Dr. Ghanbari is a graduate of the six-cycle Ph.D. Architecture Program, Sapienza University of Roma, Italy. He spent the last 10 years of his 25 year journey in Italy as a researcher and professor for the School of Architecture and his work was selected as virtuoso for the prestigious Venice Biannual International Exposition. He also served as Director of Cultural Activities and Promotions at Pescara University.

Ahmad Gramian - Trustee & Vice Chairman 

Ahmad Gramian is a Co-founder of CorpInfo Services an information technology company delivering Infrastructure and application development consulting services.

Ahmad is a member of board of trustees for Children’s Institute Inc. (CII) www.childrensinstitute.org, which helps children who have been affected by violence in their homes or communities. Since 1906, CII has been serving at-risk children and families throughout Los Angeles County. Ahmad is also Vice President of board of trustees for Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) www.laco.org , which its mission is to enrich and connect our community through intimate and transformative musical experiences which exemplify and foster artistic excellence, education and innovation. Advisory board for Upward Bound House www.upwardboundhouse.org and serving as University of Southern California (USC) Ambassador.

Ahmad Gramian obtained his MS in Electrical Engineering / Computer from the University of Southern California, and his BS in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Darioush Khaledi - Trustee

Darioush Khaledi is the Founder and CEO of Darioush Winery in Napa Valley 1998. In just a few short years his wines were rated by Wine Critics to be among the top 100 wines in the world.

He started his entrepreneurial career in 1977 by launching Top Valu Market, a grocery business in Torrance CA. Today the operation he still heads lists 24 stores and employs more than 2,000 people.

Darioush serves on the Board of Directors of the Food Marketing Institute, Unified Grocers, and was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Grocers Association for the 1996-97 terms. Additionally, Darioush serves on the Board of Directors LA Phil and Chairman of the Board of Napa Valley Festival del Sol.  In June of 1996, Darioush won the Entrepreneur of the Year award in Southern California. In May of 2008, Darioush was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor giving tribute to those who have made enduring contributions to our nation.

Darioush Khaledi graduated with a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from Polytechnic in Tehran in 1968. He also graduated from the University of Southern California’s Effective Management Program in 1981 and the Cornell University Food Executive Program in July 1995.

Farshad (Fasha) Mahjoor - Trustee

Fasha Mahjoor is the Founder and CEO of Phenomenex, world leader in the research, manufacturing and supply of chromatography products for the separation, analysis, and purification of chemicals and biochemicals. Phenomenex has subsidiaries in 15 countries, along with franchises and distribution partners in 61 other countries.

The importance of the connection to community and humanity is perhaps most clearly articulated in his company’s mission statement: “…it is our responsibility and foremost mission to promote the growth, prosperity and well being of those we serve—our customers, our employees, and humanity.” Fasha and the Phenomenex team (worldwide) have been and continue to be passionately involved in a wide array of humanitarian and philanthropic efforts, in addition to supporting many cultural and academic foundations, and have been recognized with many prestigious awards.

Diversity is a key element in all of the Phenomenex companies, which further reinforces Fasha’s personal belief of worldwide unity. The staff is comprised of individuals from 48 different countries, with a multitude of cultural and religious backgrounds—all of whom are treated equally, with great respect and without prejudice of any kind.

Fasha has a master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Manchester, England.

Ron Mavaddat - Trustee

Ron Mavaddat is the President of Pacific West Financial, a real estate fund company, investing in real estate, finance and syndication throughout the United States. He has extensive experience with all types of commercial real estate. His asset evaluation and administration abilities allowed his fund to minimize liability and maximize value. Ron developed and maintained strong relationship with both traditional and non-traditional real estate sources and utilize a broad range of strategies to generate maximum capital from its real estate and loan investments. Ron earned his Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern California and his Masters Degree in Structural Engineering from Pittsburgh State University.

Dr. Aria Mehrabi - Trustee

Aria Mehrabi is a principal of Pacific Star Capital. He co-founded the Real Estate Investment Fund, investing in retail and office properties across the United States.

Aria began his career as a Middle East risk consultant to the RAND Corporation and also lectured on international affairs at Georgetown University. He currently serves on the Leadership Council of the New America Foundation, a non-partisan think tank devoted to pragmatic solutions to global problems. In that capacity, he offers counsel, strategic guidance, and support to a suite of foreign policy programs at the intersection of globalization, economic development, geopolitical risk, and public diplomacy. While on the council, Aria co-authored the book: “Iran and Its Place Among Nations.” (Praeger). For his second book, Aria is going in a different direction, and given his love for winemaking, he is completing a manuscript on the history of wine in Persia.

An advocate for women’s empowerment and security, Aria founded the Banu Foundation to support grass-roots organizations in the developing world devoted to empowering women. He has been an annual contributor to the Protection Project of Johns Hopkins, an organization devoted to chronicling and halting the practice of female trafficking across the world.

Aria received his Ph.D. in international affairs from Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he examined the information revolution and its effects on democratization in the Middle East. He received his Masters in Real Estate Development from The University of Southern California (USC), and his BA degree from The University of California, Berkeley.

Farhad Mohit - Trustee & Vice Chairman 

Farhad Mohit is Founder and CEO of Cheerful Inc., creating apps that empower people to shape a better reality for themselves.  These include Cheers, the "like button" for the real world, and Gripe, a much better Better Business Bureau for the age of social media.

Previously, he founded two of the world's largest shopping search engines BizRate.com in 1996 and Shopzilla in 2004, leading both sites from launch to profitability and success – Each today is a top 50 worldwide website.

Farhad is a TED Patron, sits on the board of Soliya.net and Aeeneh.org. He is also an active burner who treks out every year to Black Rock City, NV for Burning Man.

Farhad holds an MBA in Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics/Applied Science and Economics with a specialization in Computing from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Anoosheh M. Oskouian - Trustee

Anoosheh M. Oskouian is president and co-founder of Ship & Shore Environmental, Inc. After graduating from the University of Colorado, with a degree in chemical engineering, she began her career at Flour Daniel as a project engineer working on nuclear, chemical and petrochemical projects for the worldwide market.

After leaving Flour Daniel she became involved in helping manufacturers meet VOC abatement challenges by providing customized energy efficient air pollution abatement systems. For many years she has served, and continues to serve, as an advocate for manufacturers through active participation on several boards and committees i.e. BACT (Best Available Control Technology) committee member for the SCAQMD (South Coast Air Quality District), board member of Western Region SPI (Society of Plastics Industry), board member of CFECA (California Film Extruders & Converters Association) and FBF (Film & Bag Federation).

Due to client requests for help with addressing the ever-increasing regulations on manufacturing such as global warming and carbon footprint reduction issues Ship & Shore Environmental, Inc. launched a new division known as Green Energy Industrial Solutions. Their primary focus is development of customized energy conservation and alternative energy systems that not only help clients to become more competitive by reducing operating costs, but also reduce greenhouse emissions and carbon footprint.

Shulamit Nazarian - Trustee

Shulamit Nazarian has an extensive background in arts, architecture and philanthropy. She first conceived of Shulamit Gallery in 2006 and recently expanded to her Venice location. Born in Teheran, Shulamit immigrated to the United States, where she studied architecture at University of Southern California and then completed her degree at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Upon graduating, she returned to Los Angeles where she worked at Wilson & Associates, an internationally acclaimed interior design firm. Shulamit has served on many boards; presently, she sits on the Milken Community High School Board of Trustees, the Art Advisory Board at the USC Hillel, Zimmer Children’s Museum YouThink Advisory Committee, Board of Trustees at the Santa Monica Museum of Art (SMMoA), and supports events in Southern California for the Friends of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in Los Angeles. She is an active member of the Fellows of Contemporary Arts, Santa Monica Museum, Artis and Art Table. Shulamit is also a supporter of arts and education in the Los Angeles community through her gallery’s non-profit entity, Shoe-LA.

Hooshang Pak MD, FACS - Trustee

Dr. Hooshang Pak is a board certified and fellowship trained neurosurgeon, practicing as a senior partner of Coast Neurosurgical Associates, a medical group that he co-founded in Long Beach, California in 1981. He currently is serving as the Chairman of the Section of Neurosurgery and a member of the board of trustees of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, the second largest private hospital on the US West Coast.

Certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, Hooshang has been a fellow of The American College of Surgeons since 1986. In addition to his many publications in medical journals and books, he has served as a member of the editorial board of the international Journal of Surgical Neurology.

Hooshang earned his medical degree from Tehran University and started his surgical training at Saint Vincent Medical Center in New York. He then completed his neurosurgery residency-training program at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Michigan and spent another year of subspecialty fellowship training in the field of microsurgery of cerebrovascular diseases in the same institution. For nearly three decades, Hooshang has been practicing in the field of brain and spine surgery in the Long Beach area.

Shidan Taslimi - Trustee

Shidan Taslimi is the Founder and President of Taslimi Construction Company, an award winning and premier general contracting firm based in Southern California, consistently ranked amongst the Los Angeles Business Journal’s top 25 commercial and industrial contractors. Shidan oversees the company's operations, business and client development as well as strategic planning and growth.

Shidan has served on numerous non-profit boards, and has membership in and supports a number of organizations including, the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California, American Institute of Architects, IIDA Southern California Chapter, Los Angeles County Museum of Art – President’s Circle Partner, USC Architectural Guild, Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, UCLA Alumni Association, Los Angeles Business Council, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, to name a few. Individually, and through The Taslimi Foundation, he also supports a number of charitable causes, philanthropies, educational and community endeavors.

Shidan has a Masters of Science and Bachelor of Science in Engineering from University of California in Los Angeles.

Ardie Tavangarian -  Past Trustee

Ardeshir Ardie Tavangarian was born in Shiraz, Iran. At the age of 15, he came to United States as an exchange student in Michigan and after completing high school, he started his Architectural study in Michigan. He moved to California in 1977, and in 1979 completed his Architectural Degree from Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Ardie started his own firm called ARYA in 1981, specializing in Design and Construction and Management of Architectural projects. ARYA has been involved in some of the most important Architectural projects in Southern California and elsewhere, including Getty Museum, Ackerberg Residence, Meyer Residence, Morton Residence, Village School, and Hotel Maya, to name a few. Many of ARYA’s projects have been published in books and Architectural magazines.

Ardie’s passions extend beyond Architectural and Real Estate and include the Culinary Arts. Last year, while attending World Flavors at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, he collaborated with Najmeh Batmanglij in preparing some great dishes of modern Persian cuisine. Although having left Iran at a very young age, all his passions are influenced by his love and connection to his culture and heritage and its sense of pride and value that has given him multi-directional perspective in whatever endeavor he participates in.