Meet Our Board Of Directors

Yalda Modabber - Executive Director and Board President

Yalda Modabber is Golestan’s Executive Director. As such, she is currently responsible for all strategic, administrative, and operational duties including program development, organizational strategy, scheduling, recruiting (staff and students), training, marketing, expansion, procurement, bookkeeping, and facility maintenance.

Ms. Modabber, is a former molecular immunologist, and later consultant to for-profit and non-profit organizations. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Ms. Modabber moved to Iran as a kindergartner and returned to the U.S. at the age of 9 years. As an undergraduate, Ms. Modabber majored in Psychology, with an emphasis on Child and Developmental Psychology, finishing a dual degree in Experimental Psychology and Human Biology. Ms. Modabber went on to pursue a career in biomedical research and spent 8 years at Harvard Medical School, first as a research associate and later as a graduate student. In 2000, Ms. Modabber changed her career path and became a consultant for startups, Fortune 50+ corporations and non-profit organizations as a strategist and evaluator.

In 2005, Ms. Modabber, posted an ad on the Berkeley Parents Network, in search of an Iranian daycare, preschool, or co-op program for her first-born son, then two years old. She received a response from another mother that led to a weekly playgroup and eventually became Golestan. Ms. Modabber was hired as Golestan’s full-time Executive Director in 2008. Both of her sons have attended the school.

Hadi Taheri - Chief Financial Officer

Hadi Taheri is Golestan’s Chief Financial Officer. As such, he is responsible for maintaining the financial books and records of the organization, producing accurate and timely financial reports, and providing information and assistance to the Executive Director on such matters.

Mr. Taheri has 15 years of experience in the financial industry, having worked as a quantitative researcher in institutional global equity investment management. He completed his undergraduate and graduate education at Stanford University, earning a PhD in management science & engineering. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and co-founded the Persian Student Association (PSA) at Stanford University in 1993.

As a father of two, Mr. Taheri would like to see the next generation maintain an understanding of Persian language and culture. Attracted to Golestan by his profound love for Iran, Hadi believes that Golestan provides a uniquely nurturing environment for Iranian-American parents who wish to have their children speak Persian.

Firuzeh Mahmoudi - Secretary

Firuzeh Mahmoudi is Secretary of Golestan’s Board of Directors. She is responsible for maintaining accurate records of all board meetings and correspondence. Ms. Mahmoudi also plays an active role in fundraising for the organization.

Ms. Mahmoudi is the founder and the International Coordinator of United4Iran (united4iran.org), a global network for human and civil rights in Iran. Firuzeh Mahmoudi is an Iranian-American mother, global coordinator, project manager, and environmental scientist. She earned masters degrees in Environmental Science and Public Affairs at the School of Public Affairs in Bloomington, Indiana and received her bachelor’s degree in Economics from UC Berkeley.

From 2002 to 2006, Ms. Mahmoudi served as the International Coordinator of the global coalition Health Care Without Harm, which has 350+ member groups in over 50 countries.

Ms. Mahmoudi acted as the main liaison to agencies such as the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the Hesperian Foundation. Ms. Mahmoudi fostered the development and engagement of member groups through providing strategic and technical support and organizing and facilitating regional and international meetings.

Since 2005, Ms. Mahmoudi has been leading a $23 million United Nations project aimed at reducing the volume and toxicity of health care waste in eight low-income countries around the world. She is currently on the board of MOMS (Making Our Milk Safe), an environmental-health NGO with the mission of protecting the health of our babies by eliminating the growing threat of toxic chemicals and industrial pollutants in human breast milk. She is also an advisor for the nonprofit organization Hardy Girls Healthy Women (HGHW) which is a dedicated to the experience of equality, independence, and safety for girls and women in their everyday lives.

Katherine Whitney – Board Member

Katherine Whitney is involved in grant writing for Golestan and facilitates community-related activities. In addition, Ms. Whitney serves as the liaison between the board of directors and the Golestan Community Association.

Katherine Whitney is a museum consultant and writer. She earned a BA in art history at Duke University and a Masters in Museum Studies at John F. Kennedy University. In 1995 she founded Katherine Whitney & Associates, an independent museum exhibition consulting firm.

As the wife of an Iranian man and the mother of two Iranian-American children, Katherine strives to learn about and weave Iranian traditions into her family life. She has had the good fortune to travel to Iran three times to visit her in-laws. In 2005, she published an essay about her hybrid family in the anthology Because I Said So: 33 Mothers Write about Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race & Themselves. In 2009, Katherine responded to an internet post about Golestan, hoping to find a Persian language class for her 12-year-old daughter, Leyla. With incredible generosity and creative maneuvering, director Yalda Modabber designed for Leyla a custom summer language program. The child-centered, hands-on learning environment at Golestan was very similar to the elementary school Leyla had attended, and mother and daughter were instantly hooked.

Elham (Ellie) Han – Board Member

Ellie Han manages Golestan’s Parent Association and is also active in outreach, marketing, and collateral for the organization.

Ms. Han is an Iranian-American who lives in Kensington and works in San Francisco as the Chief Operating Officer of SFE Jewelers, a family owned wholesale jewelry manufacturing company.

Ellie left Iran in 1979 and studied in France before immigrating to Marin County in 1981. She earned a BS in architecture and design from the University of Arizona. After college, Ellie's interest in marketing and design brought her back to the Bay Area where she began work at Media Industry producing commercials for a local advertising company. Her combined interest in marketing and design ultimately drew her to her family business where she currently works designing custom jewelry for private clients as well as large retail manufacturers. Having studied and traveled abroad, Ellie speaks fluent Farsi and some French.