Board of Directors


Shani Moslehi

Founder/CEO

Shani is a determined and passionate businesswoman who often voluntarily takes on extra duties to help those around her succeed.  Her ability to connect with others in meaningful ways is a unique skill set taught in her networking workshops.

Shani’s goal in founding OCIACC has been to help bring the business community together, and assist small business owners understand the values of face-to-face networking and building lasting relationships.

Besides owning her own business, Shani has many years of experience in customer service and sales – having worked for several Fortune 500 companies.  She is a dedicated volunteer and has worked extensively with organizations such as Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce, the American Cancer Society, Alzheimer’s OC, and Habitat for Humanity.

Shani has been the recipient of many business awards in the areas of leadership, mentoring, networking, and service to the community. She is also an alumnus of Leadership Tomorrow, a premier course focused on developing future leaders.

Shirin Behzadi

Shirin Behzadi is a highly successful entrepreneur in the franchising industry.  She has been the Chief Executive Officer of Home Franchise Concepts (HFC), one of the largest franchise businesses in the home space.  Shirin oversaw the growth of HFC’s sales with more than 1700 franchisees.  Under her leadership, the system wide sales of the company grew significantly with double digit top and bottom line growth year over year.

Shirin is a visionary leader, entrepreneur and brand builder.  During her twenty-year tenure with HFC, she transformed and professionalized HFC into what is considered today the top-selling family of direct-to-consumer brands.

Today, Shirin is a board member and an advisor to several companies, helping them plan and achieve their desired growth.  Shirin has garnered coverage in print and broadcast outlets for her achievements, and has been recognized by EY as Entrepreneur of the Year and a recipient of the Innovation Award by Franchise.com

Shahab Elmi

Shahab is an exceptionally successful entrepreneur.  He is the Co-Founder and CEO at Cymbiotika LLC, and Co-Founder and COO at Dash Radio.

Mona Hemmati Bahri

Mona is an outgoing and energetic person who wants to do the best in all that she does.  She is currently employed at ADT Commercial, where she designs and sells security systems for businesses.  Mona has been a volunteer with OCIACC for more than four years. Her involvement with the various events has helped her grow her network as a new immigrant.  In Iran, she founded Mermaid Fashion House, where she had her own line of clothing for ten years.  Mona has continued her love for art here, and when she has free time, she designs and makes candles under Mona’s Candles.  Mona thrives to always be a better version of herself.

Sanaz Jahangard

Sanaz Jahangard is an attorney in the business planning department at Brown & Streza, LLP. She represents companies from all industries. Sanaz understands the unique and complex dynamics of closely held businesses and helps her clients successfully navigate the competing goals of financial growth and harmony amongst owners. As a successful former business owner, Sanaz has confronted many of the same challenges her clients encounter and can easily relate to them. Sanaz applies her inherent business understanding and experiences when providing business and tax planning.

Sanaz frequently represents clients in succession planning, joint ventures, tax planning, commercial transactions, employment matters, real estate transactions, and mergers & acquisitions. Her experience includes negotiating and drafting key project documents and advising on complex tax issues. Sanaz often works closely with other advisors, such as accountants, valuation experts, financial planners, and bankers to provide comprehensive services that benefit her clients.

Roobik Ovanesian

Roobik Ovanesian is a successful commercial investment broker since 1988, involved in extended-stay hotels, assisted living complexes, senior housing projects, mixed-use projects with retail components, medium to large multi-family developments, and diverse commercial investments. Roobik also offers the abilities to evaluate project feasibility, address construction issues, deal with entitlement complexities, and work with community interest groups on sensitive issues.

Roobik has represented Fortune 500 companies, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS), lending institutions, and high net worth individuals in the development, acquisition and disposition of various types of properties that have exceeded $500,000,000, in Southern and Northern California.

Roobik is an avid hiker, and while highly involved in various professional affiliation and membership groups. He and his wife Carmen have made many trips to Armenia and have been instrumental with their charity, Focus on Children Now, in building projects in Tavosh region of Armenia.

Roobik holds advanced degrees in Mathematics, Physics and Real Estate from University of Michigan and the University of Southern California, and is fluent in English, Armenian, and Farsi (Persian) languages.

Neda Rastegari

Neda brings over 20 years of professional accounting experience, as the founder of  OCB | Accountants to OCIACC.

Neda received her bachelor’s degree in economics, with a minor in business, and holds a master’s degree in accounting from New England College.

As an accomplished member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA) and a top-rated ProAdvisor, Neda is equipped to take on any accounting challenges which come her way.

Neda received OCIACC’s Business of the Year Award in 2022. She is passionate about helping people and has generously provided bookkeeping services to our nonprofit

Maziar Zamani

Maziar has earned his BS and his MBA in the field of IT management and has over 20 years’ experience in the private sector. He is fluent in English, Farsi, and German. Maziar joined OCIACC in November 2015 to meet new people and learn about new business opportunities. In 2017 he started his own company, KAMPP Technology & Marketing. Maziar is passionate to help new businesses start and grow.

Maryam Zar, JD

Maryam arrived in the United States in 1979 and grew up in New Jersey. She went to Boston University for a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and to Pepperdine Law School for a Juris Doctorate.

In 1992, Maryam went back to Iran to become an advertising executive at a time when the nation was just emerging from the war, and made her mark as a fiercely capable woman in a patriarchal land where women in the workplace were unwelcome. She became an editor for Iran News, an English language daily newspaper, and a correspondent for publications based in London and Dubai, including MEED and Gulf Marketing Review. In 2010, Maryam founded Womenfound, an organization dedicated to raising awareness for the plight of women around the world and helping empower them. She currently chairs the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils (WRAC), in Los Angeles, and has been appointed to several other local and international boards. Maryam is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Past Board Members

Ali Bavafa

Rex Behrashi

Alex Arash Eshraghi

Sam Fekrirad

Mike Kazemi, Esq.

Babak Manii

Ali Mansouri

Abbaseh (Abby) Modarres

Arash Navi

Alireza Rahimifarid

Samila Sadri

Sussan Saghei

Sohaila Sahami, Esq.

Susan Shahidi

Faran Shaker

Sheila Sharifi

Faranak Shiravi

Maryam Shokrai

Nesa Targhibi, Esq.

Samar Tehrani, ME.d/PSY.LAADC

Farnoosh Tinoosh, MD, FAAO

Sara Vaziri