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 Southern California Building Industry Association. Ali also serves on the Board of Directors of the Midnight Mission, providing numerous services to individuals on Skid Row including serving 2,000 meals a day, 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 in Human Studies by California State University and has been a lecturer at Tehran Polytechnic University.
	Mark Amin - Trustee Mark Amin is currently Vice Chairman, member of the Board of Directors and one of the largest shareholders of Lionsgate Entertainment, the leading independent producer and distributor of films in the United States. Lionsgate has distributed many acclaimed films such as Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) and Crash (2005) that won an Academy Award for Best Picture in 2005. His film credits include Executive Producer of Frida (2002), Eve’s Bayou (1997), Peaceful Warrior (2006), along with some fifty other feature films and television movies. He was also the Writer and Producer of The Prince and Me (2004). In 1985, Mark founded Trimark Pictures, where he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of until October 2000 when the company merged with Lionsgate Entertainment. Trimark Pictures was a leading publicly traded, independent film production and distribution company in the entertainment industry throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. Mark Amin graduated from University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Masters of Business Administration in 1975. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics by the University of Kansas.
	Ahmad Gramian - Trustee Ahmad Grramian is a Co-founder of CorpInfo Services an information technology company delivering Infrastructure and application development consulting services. He is a member of board of trustees for Children’s Institute Inc. (CII), 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 a member of board of trustees for Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Finally, Ahmad on the Advisory board for Upward Bound House which is a community-based, social service agency located in Santa Monica California. 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.
	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 and Darioush is now a member of the Board of Trustees of The American Center for Food, Wine and Art (Copia). He started his entrepreneurial career 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 Western Grocers, Western Association of Food Chains, Inc., and was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Grocers Association for the 1996-97 terms. 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 Farshad Mahjoor is 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 13 countries, along with franchises and distribution partners in 62 other countries. Farshad finds it intensely gratifying that his company plays such a vital role in: The discovery of new drugs for saving and improving lives Improving our environment The development of better materials for all types of products Ensuring a safer food supply and so much more, all of which benefitting most living creatures 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.” Farshad 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 Farshad’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. Frashad has a master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Southern California and Bachelors in Architecture, from Manchester, England.
	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 Farhad Mohit is Founder and CEO of DotSpots, a startup aiming to democratize the news. Previously, he founded 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 sits on the board of the Alliance of Civilization Media Fund, the media arm of an initiative set up by the United Nations to advance the prospects of world peace through cross-cultural understanding. He also serves on the board of the Iranian Scholarship Foundation which provides talented Iranian-American students with financial support and mentoring. 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.
	Hooshong Pak MD, FACS - Trustee Dr. Hooshang Pak is a board certified Neurosurgeon practicing as a Senior Partner of Coast Neurosurgical Associates, in Southern California. Hooshang is Certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Surgical Neurology. Through his career Houshang has served in various medical staff positions including Chief of Neurosurgery at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. He is also a member of various medical associations, including The American College of Surgeons, The American Association of Neurological Surgeons, The American Congress of Neurological Surgeons and The California Association of Neurological Surgeons and was a member of the Far West Medical Association from 1989 to 2005, serving as its president in 1996. Hooshang received his medical degree from Tehran University, his surgical training in St. Vincent Medical Centre in New York and completed his residency in Neurosurgery along with a subspeciality in Microscopic Surgery of Cerebral Blood Vessels at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Michigan.
	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.