Board of Directors
Founder and Director, Kei Esmaeilpour
Kei is an engineer from Iran and certified project manager and Biomedical Enginering Technologist with a passion for social advocacy and political culture. Since immigrating to Canada, he has been an active member of the Iranian-Canadian community through his volunteer work and community development initiatives, including his involvement with collaboration with dozens of local, nonpartisan NGOs to promote electoral turnout and political awareness. In 2013, he was conferred the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the society. After 10 years of services with Canadian Blood Services in UBC, Kei assumed the role of technical advisor to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in 2014. He had many missions across Africa and Asia (Uganda, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Swaziland and Jordan), Upon returning from his missions, he began working with the MSF’ Western Canada Association, Education Without Borders, James Foundation Uganda, and continues his community advocacy and partnership building with local civic associations. In 2020, Kei was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM Civil Division) in recognition of his contributions in many different fields of endeavours from advocacy initiatives and health care services to research and humanitarian efforts to Canada
Director, Paria Saremi
Paria is a Law graduate from the University of Victoria currently pursuing a career in Human Rights/Public Interest Law. Having served as the Chair of the Civic IC North Vancouver Committee for several years, Paria has been an active member of Civic IC since 2009. Paria also holds a certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement from Simon Fraser University and has furthered her Human Rights studies through the European University Institute and the Women's Human Rights Institute. Paria's involvements include working for ‘United for Iran’ in drafting submissions to the UN Committee on Arbitrary Detention and working for Lawyer Rights Watch Canada as a Country Monitor. She is also interested in ‘Access to Justice’ issues when it comes to the availability of legal aid and information to the general public, having worked for the Community Legal Assistance Society and the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre.
Chair (Co-chair), Zahra Jenab
Zahra is a family lawyer, with more than 20 years’ experience, and practicing on the North Shore. As well as being accredited by the Law Society of BC as a family law mediator, arbitrator, and parenting coordinator, she is a member of the BC Parenting Coordination Roster Society, and the BC Hear the Child Society Roster. Zahra has had the opportunity to provide legal services to a number of different immigrant and cultural communities, and is keenly aware of the cultural differences that often play a significant role in conflict resolution. She has had the privilege of volunteering in a number of different organizations, and is actively involved in several cultural and social associations, advancing the interests of the Iranian-Canadian community. She is currently the President of the North Shore Bar Association, a director of Access Pro Bono, BC Hear the Child Society Roster, and the North Shore Women’s Centre.
Director, Mehrnoush Ahmadi
Mehrnoush has advocated for LGBTQIA2S+ for over 10 years. Currently she provides counseling to LGBTQ+ community and promotes their rights in Iran at 6 Rang organization. She is one of the co-founders of chelteke, an Iranian LGBTQ+ group based in Toronto. Chelteke organized events for queer community and their allies, including cultural events, movie nights, parties, and Nature retreats. She is a co-founder of Mothers of Rainbow, this group organized the first Iranian queer art festival, exhibiting artworks of queer artists in diaspora.
Mehrnoush also worked at Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario (IWOO) as facilitator and coordinator in an LGBTQ+ related project. During her employment in addition to numerous workshops she organized an event to commemorate the International day against homophobia and transphobia.
She has produced content in various online publishings to educate the community about LGBTQ+ life experiences and report on their human rights violations.Her focus is community engagement and education around LGBTQ+ mental health and human rights.
Chair (Co-chair), Parmida Esmaeilpour
Parmida is a Master's student at the University of British Columbia. She previously studied Honours political science at the University of British Columbia, international relations at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, experimental methodology at Oxford University’s Centre for Experimental Social Sciences, and qualitative methodology at Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg. She has supported youth civic engagement in her capacity as the former President of the UBC Political Science Student Association, Editor-in-Chief of the UBC Journal of Political Studies and her long-standing involvement with Civic IC.
Director, Ali Tootian
Ali, a B.Sc. in metallurgy engineering from SBU, migrated to Canada in 1999. He received his teaching certificate on 2003 and his M.Sc. on secondary mathematics education on 2009 both from SFU. As a principal and teacher, Ali worked at Islamic College of British Columbia for two years, improving the category of school from 3 to 1. As the result, school was 50% founded by the Ministry of Education. Since 2005, he is a secondary teacher at School District 43 (Coquitlam). Ali is a social activist. His services to the Iranian community of Lower-mainland has been included but not limited to serving as a board member for three years in Burnaby Multicultural Society, one year in Burnaby Ethno-cultural Advisory Council, founding Echo-Tricity, the first Iranian society in Tri-cities, leading Tri-City Iranian Cultural Society for half a term, and founding/leading Farhangian Educators Association. The wellness of Iranians and the cultural and educational growth of them has been the major task for Ali in these years. Ali’s passion on the success of Iranian students has been a driving force for providing voluntarism for the students, consulting students and their parents, presenting educational workshops such as “Bullying at Schools,” and promoting positive thinking and approaches toward migration and multiculturalism.