Peyvand Board Members
Creating and enabling the Peyvand mission
Meet the Peyvand Team
Shahrzad Shams served as a full-time Assistant Teaching Professor in Persian in the Department of near Eastern Languages and Civilization at the University of Washington.
Leyla Salmassi is a double Huskey with 2 B.A.s and an M.A. from the University of Washington. She is an experienced project and program manager in higher education with a commitment to excellence, diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.
Hamid Attar is a Systems Engineering Leader and sits on our board as Peyvand’s treasurer.
Peyvand Advisory Board
Seeking guidance from the community
Naghmeh Samini (PhD), playwright, scriptwriter, and lecturer in Dramatic Arts, was born in Iran and received her BA in Drama and MA in Cinema from the University of Tehran.
Principal for DAVID WOODWARD & ASSOCIATES LLC (DW) facilitating international K-20 education services, multi-regional business development, and global engagement and change management for institutions
Babak is a Vice President at Amazon. Prior to joining Amazon in 2014, he was a distinguished engineer and a director at Google.
Mehran received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, in 1996.
Peyvand Arts Advisory Committee
Overseeing the quality of artistic projects and presentations
Singer, respected vocal coach, and future conductor known for her versatility. Her work has garnered attention from prestigious institutions and led to collaborations with some of the finest talents in the world. A soloist with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, Haniye had the privilege of working with the esteemed Alexander Rahbari, assistant to the legendary Herbert von Karajan.
Parisa Ghaderi is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Shoreline Community College. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan. Her work has been exhibited in renowned museums and galleries worldwide.
Amir Siadat is a distinguished scholar, filmmaker, film critic, curator, and educator with extensive experience in the field and deep respect among peers. He has served as the Director of Cinematheque of Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts.
Naghmeh Samini (PhD), playwright, scriptwriter, and lecturer in Dramatic Arts, was born in Iran and received her BA in Drama and MA in Cinema from the University of Tehran.
Peyvand Communications
Sharing the vision of Peyvand
Yashar Shayan of Bitter Sweet Consulting built Peyvand’s new website which launched in November 2023.