Board of Directors
Alefba believes in the concept of family. A large group of dedicated volunteers work in Alefba in form of several committees. The chair of each committee plus the President of Alefba form the Board of Directors of the organization. The following individuals currently serve at the Board as Directors and Officers.
Afshin Sepehri
President
& Heritage
Intermittent Committee Chair
afshin@alefbagroup.org
Afshin Sepehri is a dedicated leader in public service, bringing over 30 years of experience committed to serving the community and promoting Persian and Iranian culture. His work seamlessly blends cultural preservation with impactful community support.
In 2019, Afshin co-founded Alefba Group, an organization aimed at serving the community and fostering Iranian cultural heritage in Washington State and beyond. Since its founding, he has served as president, overseeing its growth and development.
Afshin’s involvement in Persian media began in 2005 when he co-founded Radio College Park, the longest-running Persian podcast. In 2018, with community support, he expanded its scope, renaming it Radio Iranshahr, which now operates under Alefba Group.
In 2015, he founded the Seattle Iranian Choir, which is now part of Alefba Group. He continues to direct and compose music for the ensemble. Afshin is also a former member of the Maryland Chorus and the Seattle Peace Chorus, and currently sings with the Kirkland Choral Society.
In 2015, he also co-founded the Kankosh Discussion Group, which expanded to a larger audience in 2018. This group is now part of Alefba Group, further expanding its educational programming. Additionally, Afshin has been an active member of several Toastmasters International clubs, winning multiple public speaking contests at the club, area, and division levels.
Afshin is deeply passionate about Persian literature, particularly Shahnameh, the Persian Book of Kings. He is the producer of the audiobook series The Stories of Shahnameh in both Persian and English, and author of the children’s book series The Stories of Shahnameh, published by Alefba Group. He regularly lectures on the Shahnameh and has led storytelling sessions across Iran and the United States. He teaches in-person and online courses on Shahnameh and Mythology, reaching audiences of thousands.
Afshin has served on the Persian and Iranian Studies Program advisory board at the University of Washington and continues to contribute to cultural workshops such as the Persian Poetry and Music Workshop of Seattle. From 2015 to 2018, he played a key role in organizing the Seattle Iranian Festival.
Afshin co-founded the Iranian Graduate Student Foundation (IGSF) at the University of Maryland in 2003 and served as its first president. He was also the Vice President of External Affairs for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Student Association (ECEGSA) from 2002 to 2003.
Afshin was an active member of the Zoroastrian Students Association in Tehran from 1991 to 1997 and served as president of the Zoroastrian Society of Washington State from 2011 to 2013.
Afshin holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland and works as a Principal Software Engineer in Washington State.
Mahshid Yar Mohammadi
Vice President
& Kherad Society Committee Chair
mahshid@alefbagroup.org
Mahshid Yar Mohammadi is passionate about Persian literature, art and music. Mahshid has performed with Seattle Iranian Choir since 2015. She joined Radio Iranshahr since its first days as an item producer and a director.
Mahshid received her Computer Engineering degree from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran. She moved to the United Stated in 2008 and completed her Masters in Computer Science. She is currently a senior software engineer at a major software company in Washington State.
Cyrus Khubcher
Treasurer
& Choir Committee Chair
cyrus@alefbagroup.org
Cyrus Khubcher has had the privilege of being a member of the Seattle Iranian Choir since 2014. This musical ensemble of singers is now part of Alefba Group and Cyrus serves as its committee chair.
Cyrus has enjoyed participating in various choral music performances in Western Washington in the past 5 years.
Aidin Behroozi
Secretary
& Kankosh Committee Chair
aidin@alefbagroup.org
Aidin Behroozi loves to offer a service as a volunteer for social, cultural, charitable activities. She deeply believes service is a brilliant love that grows you and society together.
Aidin joined Kankosh Discussion Group in May 2018 and assists in organizing Kankosh sessions. She is one of the Alefba director represents Kankosh committee.
Aidin joined Seattle Iranian Choir in summer 2017. She is a member of choir leadership team for organizing choir programs and events.
Aidin was in the organization team of a campaign “Education is not a crime” in Seattle for screening a movie “to light a candle” by Maziar Bahari at UW in 2014.
Aidin is a volunteer for annual events of Puget Soundkeeper for cleaning up debris from lake union and University of Washington Botanic Park from 2013.
She cooperated in a NGO (Anjoman Hemayat az Kodakan kar) in Iran to support and educate street kids in Tehran and Karaj- Iran between 2008-2010.
Aidin has a Master degree in Structural Engineering from Bahai Institute for Higher Education and University of Washington. She works as a Structural Engineer in Seattle Washington State.
Firoozeh Tabesh
Chashni Committee Chair
firoozeh@alefbagroup.org
Firoozeh joined the Seattle Iranian Choir in March of 2018. Soon after the formation of Alebfa, she became active with the Chasni committee and currently serves as the chair. She then joined the board of directors at Alefba. Firoozeh’s desire to celebrate her Persian culture and language is apparent in her American born children’s fluency in reading and writing Persian.
Firoozeh has obtained degrees in medical and dental fields. Her training and caring heart leads her to volunteer in many health events such as the annual Seattle/King Country Clinic and Smile Mobile which provide free medical and dental services to underserved communities. Firoozeh also finds peace in gardening, exploring outdoors, or by traveling to immerse herself in new cultures around the world.
RANA Amini
Grants Director
rana@alefbagroup.org
Rana Amini is a an advocate for equity, justice and health for all. Being an immigrant, she is specifically passionate about the Persian culture and the impact of culture in bringing together the communities.
Rana has been a member of the Kherad Committee since its establishment in 2019.
Rana is a Pathologist graduated from Tehran University and has an MBA from Seattle University. She is Co-founder of the Washington State Community Health Workers Association, and also is a member of Technical Advisory Board of Lake Washington Institute of Technology. She is now working at a community health center in King County, following her passion to serve the community professionally and personally.
Mohsen Karimi
Health Committee Chair
mohsen@alefbagroup.org
Mohsen is the representative of the health committee at the board of directors. He is a professional in the medical field and a big fan of social activities, especially the ones involving food! 😀
Sanaz Ansari
Public Relations Committee Chair
sanaz@alefbagroup.org
Sanaz is the representative of the public relations committee at the board of directors. She joined Alefba as a choir member in 2019 and soon become involved in other Alefba activities including Kankosh and public relations.
Atosa Estekizadeh
Radio Iranshahr Committee Chair
atosa@alefbagroup.org
Atosa Estekizadeh is passionate about literature and writing, as well as live arts such as music performances and theater. She joined Radio Iranshahr in 2019 as a host, writer and director.
Atosa received her Ph.D. from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden in 2018. She moved to Seattle in 2019 and began working as a research scientist at the University of Washington in 2020.
Maryam Badiee
Heritage Committee Chair
maryam@alefbagroup.org
The love of Persian language, culture and the need for social connectedness in the community has kept Maryam an active member of the group since its inception.
She has been a Persian language instructor teaching heritage and non-heritage students for over 18 years. She is medical and social interpreter for Persian & Dari languages. She is also a public speaker who has given presentations on wide array of topics from Persian poetry & celebrations to women’s rights.
She received her BA in Persian language and literature from Tehran University. She earned her MA in Iranian ancient cultures and languages.
Maryam is currently actively collaborating with the heritage group, poetry-night circle and the book club. She is looking forward to branching out her energy and enthusiasm to where it would serve the community the best.
Samaneh Tabatabaei
Public Relation Committee Chair
Samaneh@alefbagroup.org
Samaneh Tabatabaei has a love for Iranian culture, art and passion for volunteer and charitable activities. Samaneh also enjoys exploring outdoors, travel and getting to know people.
Samaneh joined Seattle Iranian choir in February 2020 and since then, she is an active member of Alefba. She became active with the Public Relations committee and currently serves as the committee chair.
Samaneh has a Bachelor’s degree in Historical Building Restoration and Architecture, and a Diploma in Interior Design. She has many years of experiences in those fields.
She currently has the pleasure of spending time as a mom with her kids at home.
Nader kaveh
Radio Committee Chair
nader@alefbagroup.org
Nader Kaveh is passionate about Persian literature, art and culture and loves to contribute as a volunteer to cultural and charitable activities. He has been with Radio Iranshahr as a host, producer and director since August 2019 and joined Seattle Iranian Choir in January 2021.
Nader has a Master’s degree in Architecture from Tehran Art University and a diploma of construction management from Tehran University. He has experience in construction field for many years and currently works in Washington state.
Nader is also a photographer and has had several photography exhibitions in Iran and the United states. He is interested in architectural, landscape and portrait photography.