Dr. Ali Djalilian

Member

Ali Djalilian, MD is currently a Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Illinois at Chicago. He is one the leading experts in the management of patients with severe ocular surface disease. He has  published over 150 journal papers and book chapters. He is currently the editor-in-chief of the journal The Ocular Surface. 

Ms. Farideh Bakhtiari

Member

Ms. Bakhtiari graduated from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. Her professional experience has included programming, product verification, design, system architecture and projects, products, resources, and budget management. My Engineering career started at Canadian Electronics & Aviation (CAE) as a programmer followed by working at Ericsson Mobility for 4 years as software designer. Moving to Seattle in 1996, I started working at AT&T Wireless in progression from a platform manager to the senior lead engineer responsible for architecture, design, and implementation of Mobility Network Management Solutions. I strive for building professional and personal relationships based on trust, collaboration, and problem-solving through team work.

Mr. Gary Gamer

President

Gary’s career also includes fifteen years in senior leadership positions at Holt International Children’s Services, where he served as CEO, and as the Peace and Justice Coordinator for the U.S. National Council of Churches USA. Gary has worked with NGOs in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Middle East, Latin America and the U.S. in program support and development. He has lived in countries of these regions.

Dr. Jamal Rostami

Member

Dr. Rostami is a registered Professional Engineering (PE) in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia with over 25 years of experience in design, management, research, and teaching in the field of mining, tunneling, and underground construction. Dr. Rostami received his undergraduate in Mining Engineering from the University of Tehran in 1987 with the high honor of first in his class. He obtained his MSc and PhD degrees in mining engineering from Colorado School of Mines (CSM) in 1992 and 1997, respectively. Dr. Rostami worked as a research faculty and deputy director of the Earth Mechanics Institute at CSM until year 2000. Dr. Rostami joined the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) in 2007 where he is currently an associate professor, Centennial Chair and Interim Program Chair in Mining Engineering. Dr. Rostami has published over 130 papers and many technical reports. He is a member of SME, ASCE, ARMA, ISEE, IRSME, IRRMS, TRB tunneling committee, and Univ. of Tehran alumni association (Kanoon Fanni). He is the 2013 chair of the professional engineering exam committee and a member of the structure and governance (S&G) strategic committee of the society of mining engineers (SME). He was the founder of Iranian Academic Association in Washington DC active for ten years before it was registered as Iranian American Academics and Professionals (IAAP) in 2013. Dr. Rostami is also an active member of the interfaith initiative of Center Country PA (IICC) since 2010.

Mr. Kamyar Lashgari

Chairman

Mr. Lashgari received his Bachelor in Urban Planning and Masters in Urban Design from the University of Washington and has been a professional planner and designer for the past 34 years. At the start of his career, Mr. Lashgari worked in the public sector for various cities in Washington and California as an Urban Designer and Planner. He later worked for architectural and civil engineering firms in both Southern California and Iran. While working in Iran, he specialized in urban reconstruction planning for areas affected by the war.

Ms. Manijeh Taherynia

Treasurer

Ms. Manijeh Taherynia is a certified public accountant with over 15 years of experience in state and local government auditing and accounting, as well as taxation in public accounting in Colorado. She received her Master’s in Accounting from the University of Colorado at Denver. Ms. Taherynia has also served on the board of other non-profit organizations. 

Mr.  Morteza Ferdowsi

Member

Mr. Morteza Ferdowsi is presently a real estate developer and management consultant and has been involved with Child Foundation since 2018 in various volunteering capacities.  He graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach and in 2000 he completed the Executive Management Program at UCLA.  Mr. Ferdowsi’s professional career spans decades which began in 1987 in the Telecommunications industry.  In 2012, his company was acquired by a major US based networking company leading him to begin his independent endeavors.  As a leader in the community,  Mr. Ferdowsi  has served on the boards of multiple organizations and has held positions on the board of American Red Cross in Southern California.  Mr. Ferdowsi dedicates much of his time to following causes that are close to his  heart and culture.

Dr. Nader Namazi

Member

Nader Namazi received his Ph.D. from Missouri University of Science and Technology, formerly known as the University of Missouri-Rolla, in 1985. He was with the Michigan Technological University, Houghton, from 1985 to 1992, where he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor. Since 1992, he has been with the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., where he is currently a Professor of Electrical Engineering. He was the Chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from 2005-2008. He is currently a member of Board of Directors of the Child Foundation. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Modeling and Simulation from 1994 to 1996. He is the author of the book New Algorithms for variable Time Delay and Nonuniform Image Motion Estimation (1994). His research interests are in different aspects of image motion detection and estimation, image sequence filtering/restoration, and digital communications. Dr. Namazi is a senior member of IEEE and member of Eta Kappa Nu. He is also the recipient of the Alpha Delta Gamma Teaching Award.