On April 13, 2019, The Iranian American Women Foundation (IAWF) held its very first annual gala to honor 15 outstanding women of Iranian heritage in Los Angeles’ prestigious Beverly Hilton. Fifteen Iranian American visionary women with outstanding records of contribution and success in law, arts, business, community service and philanthropy were awarded at the 2019 inaugural “Women of Influence” Soirée. By organizing the gala, IAWF celebrated the achievements of phenomenal women who have made a difference in their community, in society and in their country and it also gained much-needed attention and support for its popular mentorship program and future scholarships for Iranian American young generation. As Mariam Khosravani, IAWF Founder had envisioned for the it’s inaugural gala, the celebration was conspicuously successful in “recognizing the accomplishments of these women who have been influential in their area of expertise and have made a difference in people’s lives locally and at a global level”. Ms Khosravani stresses “we wanted to bring the community under one roof”.
IAWF expresses its utmost gratitude to Asieh Namdar who took the helm of our event as the Master of the Ceremonies. Ms. Namdar, an anchor with the CGTN America in Washington DC is a great supporter of the IAWF mission. The participants greatly enjoyed performance of K-von, popular Iranian American TV host and comedian. On the sidelines of the gala, a silent auction was held, and the guests had a chance to participate and bid. An all women band headed by Mona Tavakoli, LA-based drummer and performer played during the night of celebration. IAWF expresses its utmost appreciation to Ms. Zaza Saleh and Ms. Soheila Adelipour, as the co-chairs of the gala. We are forever grateful to our LA Planning Committee Members and appreciate their time and dedication: Soheila Adelipour, Josaine Cohanim, Marjaneh Hashemi, Roya Mashayekh, Nooshin Meshkaty, Soheila Motamed, Sunny Nassim, Marjan Rajabi, Yeganeh Saleh, Zaza Saleh and Marjan Zohoury. “Women of Influence Soiree” was an inspiring and heartwarming gathering where hearts and minds worked to make a brighter future for the new generation of the Iranian American community. We appreciate our young volunteers for their time and dedication to the IAWF mission.