Persian Center has new executive director

San Francisco Bay Area's Persian Center takes a leap! The Board of Directors of Persian Center is proud to announce the hiring of their first Executive Director, Maryam Ovissi. Persian Center is pleased to have her join them from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she was working in the the field of Development.

Ms. Ovissi is also the founder of a nonprofit organization, Evolving Perceptions, committed to artists who explore issues of cultural and personal identity through the arts. Ms. Ovissi has worked with the Sackler/Freer Galleries of Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, Very Special Arts and the International ChildrenŐs Festival in Virginia. The Board of Directors welcomes Maryam and her experiences to Persian Center and are confident that she will impact the arts and cultural community of Silicon Valley.

Ms. Ovissi was born in Iran and lived there for less than one year. She has lived in Spain, Italy and the United States. Although, her time in Iran was limited, her commitment and passion for creating programs and eventually a space for the sharing and experiencing of Persian culture knows no boundaries. She was able to develop her sense of cultural pride and identity by growing up in a culturally rich environment. Maryam aims to make Persian Center a vital and integral part of the Silicon Valley community.

Persian Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 through the efforts of several members of the Bay Area Persian community. Over the past several years, the volunteers have dedicated their time to create events that celebrate Iranian heritage. Through generous support of major donors in the Persian community, Persian Center was able to hire their first Executive Director. Currently, Persian CenterŐs programming and development office is located in Santa Clara. Most events take place at various cultural and community spaces throughout Silicon Valley.

Some highlights of the most exciting contributions Persian Center has made to the community this Spring began with the Norooz (the Iranian New Year) celebration at the Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto. Over 500 guests attended this important holiday celebrating the first day of our Solar calendar as well as the first day of Spring. Pete Wilson, Governor of the state of California, also joined the celebration via videotape wishing the Iranian community of California a Happy New Year.

In April, Persian Center, Resource Center for the United Nations and the United Nations Association of Silicon Valley presented an 18K gold replica of the Cyrus Cylinder to Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UN. The cylinder created by Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BC is the first declaration of Human Rights known in the world.

Recently, Persian Center has created programs for the children of the Iranian Community by creating various Persian Storytelling programs at the Menlo Park Library and the Palo Alto ChildrenŐs Library. Through the generous support, the storytelling program will be expanding this summer into Borders Bookstores in the Bay Area.

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This press release was created to introduce the new Executive Director, Maryam Ovissi, and Persian Center to the Media Communtiy. You will receive press releases in the near future about specific upcoming events. Email: Persian@ccnet.com

Related links

* Iran News
* Complete list of Iranian online media
* Cover stories
* Who's who

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