Aryana Mahmoudi Khadem was born in Iran.  She is the oldest child of Houshang and Zhinus and much like her parents, has been a lifelong champion of advancement and empowerment of women.  In her home country, she studied Fine Arts and had her paintings exhibited in a gallery, a first for Iranian women. She studied Sociology in the Philippine Islands and served as a Bahá’í pioneer for 16 years in the Solomon Islands where she diligently worked with indigenous women on projects of socioeconomic empowerment.  She and her family then moved to New Zealand where she took a leadership role in women’s groups including working with UNIFEM (now UN Women) and PPSEAWA (Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association).  She focused her activities on the protection of women facing violence.  Aryana studied psychotherapy and worked both in relationship therapy and with women refugees.  Aryana is a proud mother of 4 children and a beloved grandmother to 5 grandchildren.  She has never forgotten her artistic roots, having danced in a flamenco troupe semiprofessionally for 15 years and now actively painting when not busy with her grandchildren.

Born in Iran, Mona Mahmoudi is a highly accomplished professional in Information Security. A graduate of pure mathematics and computer sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Boston University, and Wellesley College, she has taught mathematics at various colleges and universities and worked as a cybersecurity professional at some of the largest corporations, including Motorola, American Express, Sony and Viasat.

With the intensification of human rights violations following the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, resulting in the enforced disappearance of her father, the execution of her mother, and the confiscation of their assets, Ramna became one of the first to advocate for human rights in Iran. Her pioneering contributions include participating in the first major US Congressional hearing on 25 May 1982, the 10 December 1983 Human Rights Day at the White House during President Reagan’s administration, an exclusive with ABC Television’s 20/20, and a range of interviews and articles published in major American newspapers.

Dr. Artin Mahmoudi was born in Iran and came to the United States at the age of 17 to pursue his studies. After completing undergraduate and medical school at UCLA, he pursued an internal medicine residency and a combined pulmonary and critical care fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

A Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians, Artin has worked globally, from the Pacific Islands to China. He has held leadership roles, including Chairman of various Departments of Medicine, Chief Medical Officer, and Medical Director of critical care units. Currently, he serves as a pulmonary and critical care physician at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor at Touro University, California, and is actively involved with teaching medical students and residents. He loves traveling and hiking. His favorite pastime, however, is playing with his grandchildren.