The Iranian American Women Foundation invites you to join us for the Women of Influence Soirée on January 25, 2025, at The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA. This special event celebrates the remarkable contributions of women of Iranian heritage who inspire, influence, and empower our community and society.
Join us as we honor exceptional leaders from diverse fields, including arts, media, technology, and more. Enjoy an evening filled with inspiring stories, networking opportunities, and a chance to connect with fellow supporters of women’s achievements. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the powerful impact of women in our community!
The host/producer of “Life is Beautiful “ radio show at Radio Iran 670 am for the past 25 years. Past president of Rancho Park Rotary Club , and also The Coalition of Iranian Entrepreneurs. Active with a lot of Iranian American social and charitable organizations. A Wedding officiant since 2005 , and a life coach. Proud to have been involved with IAW Foundation from the beginning and Recipient of Women of Influence Award.
Dr. Mitra Mogharabi Ardehali is a practicing dentist, educator, and philanthropist with a deep commitment to advancing women's causes. She earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery from UCLA where she also pursued her undergraduate studies in Microbiology. With over three decades of dedicated service, Dr. Mogharabi has been a faculty member at UCLA School of Dentistry, where she has taught both clinical and didactic sections of dental medicine. Her expertise extends to licensure examinations for out-of-state and foreign graduate dentists, reflecting her passion for dental education. Additionally, she has moderated and led panels for aspiring and current dental students, as well as fellow faculty members.
Currently, Dr. Mogharabi serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Counselors at UCLA School of Dentistry. From 2014 to 2019, she was the Chair of the West Coast Parent Council at Barnard College, Columbia University, a role she took on while her daughters attended the college. In 2017, she also chaired the Barnard Gala in Los Angeles, significantly contributing to the support of women in STEM.
In her community, Dr. Mogharabi has been an active Board member of the Brentwood Park Property Owners Association since 2014. She resides in Brentwood with her husband, Dr. Abbas Ardehali, and their two daughters.
Afsaneh Berjis is the Founder and CEO of Madison Media Group (MMG). MMG is an independent, globally minded production agency whose production service model is designed to adapt to the changing production needs of small and medium-sized advertising agencies as well as advertisers without their own in-house production departments or who need ad hoc production support. MMG’s business model has been adapted by multiple other agencies through out the industry. Afsaneh Berjis has nearly 25 years of expertise in production consulting, financial management, financial risk management, and television commercial production. Previously, She was the Chief Operating Officer of JWTwo, the editorial/animation/audio division of the global advertising agency JWT/New York (J. Walter Thompson). Her previous clients have included Macy's, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, Diageo, Domino's Pizza and the Diamond Trading Company.
Prior to that, she was Chief Financial Officer of EUE/Screen Gems where she managed the commercial divisions of the company. On the client side, Afsaneh has been a production consultant for Kraft General Foods, Wyeth and Schering- Plough, and Domino’s among others. Afsaneh is a seasoned leader in the advertising industry. Her leadership at MMG reflects her depth of experience and dedication to providing flexible, scalable production solutions for clients worldwide.
Julia Hashemieh is an Iranian American entrepreneur and philanthropist. She moved to the United States in 1979 and attended San Jose State University earning a BS in Business Administration and an MBA while teaching at the University. After graduation, Julia worked at multiple large corporations for several years where she gained hands-on business knowledge and established a network of peers.
Feeling not challenged enough, Julia decided to start her own business and become an entrepreneur. The journey of the past several years has taken Julia from the tech industry to restaurant business before eventually landing her in the health care sector. Today Julia manages 21 surgery centers employing 250 of the top surgeons throughout Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Dubai. The surgery centers provide high-quality, state-of-the art outpatient healthcare.
Through her healthcare experience over the past several years, Julia learned about the loopholes in the system and the lack of available care to those unable to pay the high insurance premiums. That's how Aryana Healthcare Foundation was born (named after her granddaughter, Aryana.)
Aryana Health Care Foundation was formed to provide surgical healthcare to indigent and/or uninsured individuals, performing free surgeries for people throughout the State of California. To accomplish its mission, Aryana Foundation partners with facilities, physicians, and others to provide free high-quality care to those in need. Julia believes that no one should be deprived of access to quality care due to lack of adequate funds.
PariSima Hassani, CEO, founded Westgroup Designs (WD) in 1989 with a vision and desire to share her passion and expertise in the fields of design and architecture. Her mission has been to enrich the lives of people through design, improving the way they live, learn, work, serve, play, and heal. An award-winning, comprehensive, Architecture, Planning, Interior design and Branding firm, headquartered in Irvine, California, serving clients both in the US and abroad, Westgroup Designs continues to shape its progressive mission; building trust, creating innovative and memorable experiences and providing design solutions whose message is simple and universal. WD uses leading-edge technology as a standard process, from BIM Revit to photorealistic 3D imagery, VR, and project animation as well as drones to capture details for larger campus projects. WD is well-positioned to help usher the industry into the next decade of sustainable design practices, with sophistication and construction excellence. Westgroup Designs is a 2020 recipient of the American Institute of Architects Design Award, a three-time recipient of the Orange County Business Journal Best Places to Work, and many awards and accolades for both project work, and social responsibility. PariSima, herself, is the recipient of the Globe Street Women of Influence 2020 Award and the coveted Entrepreneur of the year, Orange County Global Woman Award. PariSima holds a Certificate of Campus Design from Harvard Graduate School of Design, Bachelor of Architecture from Kansas State University, and Bachelor of Art & Science from the University of Houston.
Dr. Latifeh Hagigi is Professor Emerita at UCLA, in the Iranian Studies Program of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. For over thirty years as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer, Latifeh taught all levels of Persian language, and developed curricula that have been widely praised for their focus on first-time learners and Persian heritage learners. UCLA Department Chair, Professor Kathlyn Cooney has praised her, saying "Dr. Hagigi has been a vital part of our department ... She has been a caring teacher, mentor, and advisor to over a thousand students of Persian language, and her legacy of students are extraordinarily grateful." At her retirement in 2022, Latifeh was bestowed the honor of Emerita in recognition of her contributions to language instruction, the Program of Iranian Studies, and strengthening the links between UCLA and the broader Persian community.
Deeply involved with the local Persian community, Latifeh has always made it a cornerstone of her teaching to encourage student learning through community involvement and service. She has encouraged her students to take part in planning and working with the Farhang Foundation's childrens' programming of the annual Spring Nowruz celebration at UCLA. She has organized and led field trips that included museum exhibitions, libraries and other locations of cultural value. Guest speakers she has invited to campus include Iranian scholars, writers, poets and artists who often offered workshops for her students. She has been an active supporter of the UCLA Film and Television Archive's Iranian Film Festival since its inception, and she has been a mentor, sponsor, and advisor to the Iranian Student Group at UCLA, offering cultural programming to connect her students to the wider Los Angeles Persian-speaking community.
Latifeh's devotion to teaching and its craft have garnered numerous awards and recognition, and in 2011 she became the first faculty member of the Iranian Studies Program to be honored with the prestigious UCLA Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award.
Laya Khadjavi, a seasoned finance executive, is a Fellow with Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative program. Prior to Harvard, Laya was Head of Strategic Partnerships and Client Relations and a member of the Executive Team at Menai Financial Group, a digital asset investment management firm. She is a non-executive board member of GoldenTree ABS Management LLC since 2017. From 2012 to 2016, Laya was COO, Head of Strategy and Business Development at ICE Canyon, a global investment management firm specializing in Emerging Markets. Prior to ICE Canyon, Laya was Managing Director at Morgan Stanley where, during her 23-year tenure, she held a succession of senior management positions within Institutional Securities and Global Wealth Management divisions.
Laya is a member of Brown’s President’s Leadership Council and the University’s Center for Middle East Studies’ Advisory Council. Laya is Co-Chair Emerita of Brown’s Women’s Leadership Council. In addition, she serves on the Board of Trustees of the Institute of International Education (IIE), on the Advisory Board of the Iranian American Women Foundation and is a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near East Department’s Visiting Committee. In 2008, Laya received The Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award.
Laya holds a BS in Applied Mathematics-Economics from Brown University, where she also completed the requirements for a BA in French Literature. She received her MBA from Columbia University.
