Note: $50 Student tickets are available in limited quantities. Please email contact@iawfoundation.org for more information on how to purchase your ticket.
Refunds: Your ticket will be fully refundable until February 20th, 2022. Any cancellation or no-show will not be refundable after February 20th. For more information, please email contact@IAWfoundation.org.
Save the Date! IAWF is excited to share that we will host our International Women’s Day Celebration on Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at the Renaissance Newport Beach Hotel! We are ready to return with a special celebration in honor of our 10 (+1) year anniversary. We can’t wait to have our community come together again to celebrate our sisterhood and find inspiration in each other. Stay posted for details, and we hope to see you there!
FOX 5 San Diego Morning News Anchor Shally Zomorodi has been waking up San Diego for more than a decade. A dedicated journalist, Zomorodi launched her news career as an assistant for KTTV FOX 11 in Los Angeles. Quickly advancing into an on-air reporting position in Beaumont, Texas, Zomorodi, with her winning smile and refined reporting skills, woke the Southwest residents of the Lone Star state to breaking local and national news.
Shally's embracing personality and dedicated reporting returned her to the Southland and family she loves dearly in Orange County. She reported for LA City View in Los Angeles and then became the anchor of DAYBREAK OC, a two-hour live morning show broadcasting from the heart of Orange County for all of Southern California. Versed in international broadcasting as the reporter for Voice of America, and fluent in Farsi, Shally now brings her global skills, diversity, and Southland knowledge to FOX 5. Shally credits her success in broadcasting to pageants. Shally won the title of Mrs. California Globe and was 3rd runner-up to Mrs. US GLOBE. She also held the titles of Miss Orange County Teen USA and Miss Orange County USA. It was during her competition at MISS CALIFORNIA USA that Shally won an award in journalism. She left law school to pursue her dream to work in broadcasting and says she is working her dream job every day because of pageants. Shally recently started her Podcast, It is what it is with SHALLZ, talking all things life. Shally also just wrote and published her first children’s book, ‘Myla. Caterpillars become Butterflies,’ addressing bullying. Her new cooking show Bereez-O-Bepaz will air on Voice of America this Spring.
Through social media, Shally has created connections with so many people resulting in one of Shally's newest roles. After being asked to officiate several weddings and Shally's love for LOVE she decided to make it official and is now licensed to officiate Persian American weddings. In her spare time, Shally loves to cook and belly dance. She and her husband Bruce have 4 children Arshia, Arshan, Shyla, and Shayden. Together they love traveling and showing them the world. Shally says out of everything she does nothing beats having the title of MOMMY.
Nina Ansary is an award-winning Iranian American author, historian, and leading authority on women’s rights in Iran. Her books Anonymous Is a Woman: A Global Chronicle of Gender Inequality (Revela Press/2020) and Jewels of Allah: The Untold Story of Women in Iran (Revela Press/2015) garnered multiple awards, including the 2016 International Book Award in “Women’s Issues” (Jewels of Allah) and the 2021 Benjamin Franklin Book Award in “Interior Design” and “History” (Anonymous Is a Woman).
She is the Director of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) Global Women’s Lecture Series and the Director of the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) at The Middle East and North Africa Forum at the University of Cambridge.
In 2017, she was invited to be a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics Centre for Women, Peace and Security and in 2018, she was appointed as UN Women Global Champion for Innovation.
She is the recipient of the 2020 Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award, the 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the 2018 Barnard College, Columbia University Trailblazer Award, and has been recognized as one of “10 Inspirational Women (who) Should be Household Names” by The Hill, one of “Five Iranian Visionaries You Need to Know” by The New York Times and one of “14 Privileged Women to Change the World” by Marie Claire.
Dr. Ansary has appeared on CNN International, Fox News, Larry King, the BBC, Sky News and been featured in a variety of publications, including Time, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, CNN.com, Teen Vogue and the Yale Journal of International Affairs. She regularly presents her work on women’s rights at universities including Columbia, Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge, as well as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, the UN Social Good and Girl Up Global Leadership Summits.
Ansary holds an MA in Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies and a PhD in History from Columbia University. She serves on the International Advisory Board of the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum (MENAF); a think-tank based at the University of Cambridge, the Board of Trustees of the Iranian American Women Foundation (IAWF), and the Board of Directors of My Stealthy Freedom (MSF); an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of Iranian women’s actions to secure their rights.
She can be found on Twitter (@drninaansary) | Instagram (@ninaansary) | Facebook (facebook.com/ninaansary)
Hon. Nahal Iravani-Sani is a Superior Court Judge presiding in Santa Clara County, California. She has dedicated her entire professional career to public service. She currently serves on the Superior Court’s Community Outreach Committee, Equality and Social Jus-tice Committee, and is the co-chair of the Judicial Mentorship Program with the goal of increasing diversity in the judiciary.
Prior to joining the bench, Judge Iravani-Sani was a Deputy District Attorney for 23 years, representing the People of the State of California through all phases of the criminal justice system, including Violent Felonies, Domestic Violence, Narcotics, Consumer Fraud,
Environmental Crimes, and the Sexual Assault Unit.
Dedicated to education and mentorship, Judge Iravani-Sani instructs Trial Advocacy at Stanford Law School, instructed Trial Techniques at Santa Clara University School of Law, and coached the award winning Willow Glen High School Mock Trial Team. She enjoys serving as a mentor to the next generation of trial attorneys and has established a scholar-ship for attorneys seeking to pursue public interest law.
As an immigrant to the United States at a young age, Judge Iravani-Sani is passionate about her role as an ambassador of the Iranian-American community, and giving back to her adopted country. She has served in leadership positions on nonprofit community and professional organizations, including the boards of the Iranian American Bar Association (IABA), Pars Equality Center, and the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA).
In 2017, California Governor Edmund G. Brown appointed Hon. Iravani-Sani as the first Iranian-American judge to serve on the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Judge Iravani-Sani has been the recipient of the Unity Award by the San Francisco Minor-ity Bar Coalition, the Distinguished Service Award by the Iranian American Bar Associa-tion, and the Judge’s Night Diversity Award by the Santa Clara County Bar Association for her commitment and leadership in promoting diversity in the legal profession. In 2021, she was the recipient of the Social Justice and Human Rights Award for her passion and dedication to social justice issues.
Honorable Judge Shahla S. Sabet is the first Iranian American Judge appointed to the Superior Court of the State of California. She was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to the bench in San Bernardino County in 1993. Judge Sabet has presided over criminal, civil, juvenile, and family law cases for the last twenty years. Throughout her judicial career, Judge Sabet has served as a member of the faculty at the California Judges Center for Education and has taught numerous judges on the topics of judicial ethics, fairness, and equal access to the justice system. She has led seminars at the Orientation Program and the New Judges College in Berkeley, California. In 2013, Judge Sabet retired from the bench and currently sits on assignment as a retired judge under an appointment order by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California. Judge Sabet was named Woman of the Year by the California Assembly in 1994. She has received outstanding achievement awards from the Iranian American Council of Los Angeles in 1998 and the Persian Heritage Society of London in 2000. Judge Sabet received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tehran. She then moved to the United States and earned her master’s degree from UCLA in 1972 and a Ph.D. from Claremont University in 1977. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 1985. After practicing law as a Deputy District Attorney for eight years, Judge Sabet was appointed to the bench.
Soheila Adelipour is the author of the book ‘Dancing To The Darkest Light’. She received her bachelor's degree in Business and her master's degree in Art Gallery Management while her first two kids were in diapers! She was involved with the World of Arts and Antiques in New York City, followed by running high-end gift stores. Life was normal with her 4 kids and everyday problems until the series of unfortunate events started. She lost her second son in Boston in a tragic fire accident, then, a few years later, both her sister and brother passed away after enduring long, horrific illnesses. At the moment Soheila's main purpose is to give courage and strength to people with her words and experiences. Her motto, "Love life... Live for the 'Whys' in your life and not the 'Why nots'!" She resides in Los Angeles and can be contacted at soheila.adelipour19@gmail.com.
Dr. Shahrzad Sherry Nooravi is an organizational psychologist, Master Certified Coach and CEO of Strategy Meets Performance. She serves leaders of fast-growth to Fortune 500 companies in strengthening their leadership, culture and bottom line through executive coaching, facilitation and skill development.
She has been named Citizen of the Year and Trailblazer of the Year for her community work and original research. Most recently she drove community and learning in her role as President of the International Coach Federation, San Diego Chapter. When not serving clients, you can find Shahrzad spending time with her husband and family, playing tennis and getting ready to launch her upcoming book, "A Powerful Culture Starts with You."
Golshid Mola, is the founder of ALANGOO.com, the first and only global exchange marketplace serving designers and artisans with unique and rich cultural backgrounds. Upon graduating college in Tehran, Golshid moved to New York in 2002 and obtained a Master's Degree in Communications Management and Technology, focusing on online media from New York University. After graduating, Golshid started her career at some of the world's largest media and advertising companies in New York and Boston. After gaining valuable experience in the digital world, she left her job in media and started attending seminars and conferences at Harvard Business School and beyond and with the help of Karmaloop, one of the largest fashion e-commerce sites of the time, she founded ALANOO.com. Golshid has been selected to be featured in a Harper's Bazaar associated publication along with 99 other women with Middle Eastern background who have been doing something meaningful for their communities. The publication has been delayed due to COVID 19 complications and is forthcoming.
Soudabeh (Sue) Bayat is an environmental engineer with a master’s degree from the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA), France, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Tehran University. She is the founder and president of EnTech Engineering, PC, a multidisciplinary consulting engineering firm in NYC that provides engineering, environmental, and construction management services for transportation and infrastructure projects. In addition, EnTech applies BIM/VDC/Technology to increase the efficiency and quality of these projects. Sue has built EnTech's core values to promote a culture of excellence by encouraging members of the EnTech family to learn every day, celebrate diversity, and care about the environment and climate change in all their decisions. EnTech has grown to two hundred thirty talented and highly educated professionals.
Fariba Madani was born and raised in northern Iran. After graduating from high school, she left Iran to continue her education in architecture in Paris, France where she completed her master’s degree.
After moving to America, Ms. Madani achieved her first degree black belt in 1998 and has accomplished many of her ambitious goals. She was the first national referee from Colorado, and then the first U.S. female referee at the Pan American level, for both kata and kumite. She decided then to be the first female referee from the United States at the World level, and achieved this distinction in November 2004 at the world championships in Mexico. In July 2005, during the USA-National Karate-Do Federation meeting, she was nominated to be a member of the referee council, the first woman ever to be named to the council. Just a few years later and after achieving the highest Kata and Kumite A world license, Ms. Madani was selected as a member of the World Karate Federation (WKF) referee commission in September 2010.
Due to her continuous hard work and dedication to the sport, she was selected to be the only female from Pan American continent to officiate at Tokyo 2020 Olympic. An honor that was only a reflection of her talent and fairness of her judgment call!
Last but not least she was appointed as the secretary of the World Karate Federation referee commission during the last world championship in Dubai in November 2021.
As a U.S. representative and the chair of USA Karate referee committee, Ms. Madani needs to be present at all national championships, as well as premier leagues, world championships and many international events which entails a great deal of travel and patience. Currently a sixth degree black belt, Ms. Madani practices every day and sometimes twice a day, on her way to excellence. She feels a great deal of pride in the accomplishments of her students and the joy of their parents.
Ms. Madani lives in Louisville, Colorado with her husband and kids.
Sanaz Shahbazi began Taekwondo at age six and was the youngest Junior Athlete to win the U. S. Senior National Championships at the age of 14. She was invited to live at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to train for the Olympics, and she was the only female athlete in the U.S. to be on three National Teams at the same time for any sport Junior, Collegiate and Senior National Team.
Sanaz is also the only athlete in the history of martial arts to compete in three different weight classes in one event and to medal in all of them. She was on the United States National Team for Taekwondo for 24 years, and on the Iranian National Taekwondo Team for two years. Out of eight weight classes in the sport of Taekwondo, she has been the United States National Champion in seven of them, and has medaled in seven of them in international events. She is a 5th degree black belt in karate and 6th degree in Taekwondo.
Soheila Farahani has over 22 years of experience with Iran’s women’s national volleyball team. As a national player, coach, referee, and manager, she has been involved with the sport across all levels. From 1991 to 2000, she was the setter and captain of Iran’s women’s national volleyball team. At age 32, she broke gender barriers to become the first ever international female volleyball referee from Iran. She has been a referee since 2006 and has participated in tournaments around the world.
Maggie Soleimani was appointed by the Governor to serve on the California Disciplinary Review Committee with the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), considering appeals from applicants and licensees regarding denials, revocations, suspensions, and assessment of administrative fines for the security industries.
Soleimani has been the Chair of the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board since 2015.
She has been a Public Arbitrator at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority since 2017.
Soleimani serves as a commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities and has been an avid advocate for people with special needs.
Dr. Maryam Dalili has a Doctorate degree in psychology with an emphasis in Marriage Family Therapy. She started her private practice about 14 years ago focused on treating families, couples and individuals who struggled with their relationships. Seven years ago, she discovered her passion in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and became an advanced trainer in EFT working primarily with couples and families. Dr. Dalili is also the founder of the Hand in Hand Counseling Center through which she runs “Hold Me Tight” group sessions for couples and support groups for adults.
Dr. Dalili is a board member of the EFT psychology group in LA. She has held many educational sessions on various TV and radio programs.
Haleh Khatami is an advocate of children, who strongly believes that education is the key to rising above socio-economic crisis. In the last 25 years, Haleh has been continuously and voluntarily pursuing her passion toward providing the gift of education for underprivileged children through various family assistance programs across the world. As the president and co-founder of CHILD International, she successfully leads the cause through her strategic planning, especially in the areas of marketing, public relations, and fundraising. Haleh is an entrepreneur with a background in Management Information Systems and holds extensive experience in the fields of finance and real estate. Her company, SSS Real Estate acquires and develops real estate in the Orange County area. Haleh is the mother of three compassionate daughters who kindly support her in pursuing her goals in life. Her personal achievements include a third-degree black belt in tae kwon do, earning her a silver medal in 2011, and two gold medals at the 2013 ATU National Tae Kwon Do Championships. As a side business, she managed Peaceful Warrior Taekwondo along with her husband.
From the economy to school to travel, every facet of our lives has experienced a shift in the past two years. The Great Resignation has seen many employees re-evaluate their careers and resign from their jobs, leaving a record number of open job positions in its wake. Many companies are realizing the importance of a workplace culture focused on a human-centered approach that gives the workforce a seat at the table, rather than the status quo which focuses on external stakeholders and the bottom line. These women have found success by leading through influence, while making sure to lift those around them as they climb their way to the top.
Life is an obstacle course full of unexpected turns and challenges. While we all experience our own struggles and anxieties, it is important to remember that you are not alone. Whether it’s a struggle with grief or unexpected health issues, these brave women share their stories of letting the light shine through during the darkest moments, and finding the strength that we all have within.
When the Constitution of the United States was first written, women (let alone immigrant women) were not taken into account. Centuries later, we are joined by these Iranian American female judges who are the decision makers in the pursuit of justice. In this session, you will hear insights and personal stories of triumph and adversity from these inspiring women who have an impact in the judicial system while upholding the laws of the US Constitution.
Training to be a professional athlete is an undertaking that requires extreme discipline, patience, and passion. Training to be a professional athlete as an Iranian woman adds another complex layer to an already rigorous endeavor. The women on this panel overcame a variety of obstacles to reach the world stage in their respective sports, bringing pride for themselves, their country, and the young women who look up to them. Hear their stories of disappointment, joy, and acceptance on their journey to victory.
With all the options we have available to us now, creativity is key to making your brand stand out from the crowd. The creative economy is based on an individual’s use of their imagination to increase an idea’s value, and the women on this panel have found inspiration in our shared culture and used it to shape their unique businesses. Whether rooted in our identity or our own ideas, these panelists will share their experiences of turning an unconventional idea into a successful business.
As hyphenated Americans living in a diverse country, we may find ourselves tampering down certain parts of our individuality to blend into our surroundings. Whether it’s out of fear for personal safety or discomfort with being seen as ‘different,’ we oftentimes make decisions to keep a certain part of ourselves hidden away. The speakers on this panel will open up about their experiences as they have come to embrace aspects of the cultural, ethnic, or sexual identities they once repressed, and their journeys of finding the courage to step into their truths and live their lives unapologetically.
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