Board of Directors

Dr. Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali is a distinguished linguist, educator, and philanthropist whose life’s work has profoundly advanced the preservation and global celebration of Persian language, literature, and heritage. As the founder and chair of the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, she has masterfully woven academic rigor with visionary leadership, establishing enduring legacies that transcend borders and generations.

Born in Iran and educated in France and the United States, Dr. Mir-Djalali embodies a rare confluence of cultural fluency and scholarly excellence. She earned her Ph.D. in Linguistics with distinction from the Sorbonne, Université de Paris VII, where her dissertation, Recherche sur la structure transformationnelle du verbe en Persan – Le verbe simple, received honorable mention—an early testament to her intellectual brilliance. Her academic formation also includes an M.S. in Linguistics from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Political Science, with a specialization in analytical translation techniques, from the Sorbonne’s École Supérieure d’Interprètes et de Traducteurs.

Dr. Mir-Djalali’s distinguished academic career includes appointments at Georgetown University and the University of California, Berkeley, where she imparted her deep knowledge of linguistics and the French language. Beyond the classroom, she dedicated over fifteen years to the scholarly translation of Persian mystical and educational texts into French and English, rendering the profound wisdom of Sufi masters accessible to a broader global audience.

In 2000, Dr. Mir-Djalali established the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, a private foundation devoted to promoting the preservation, transmission, and instruction of Persian language and culture worldwide. Under her inspired leadership, the Institute has founded and supported Persian studies programs at many of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Harvard, Columbia, Duke, Georgetown, the University of Chicago, MIT, Yale, Brown, the University of Arizona, the University of Maryland, the University of Washington, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, and the University of Toronto. Internationally, its influence extends to eminent institutions such as the University of Oxford, Cambridge University, and the École Pratique des Hautes Études.

Through the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, Dr. Mir-Djalali has endowed over 150 fellowships and grants, nurturing a vibrant new generation of scholars committed to Persian studies. Her philanthropic vision has further materialized through the establishment of endowed professorships and fellowships, notably the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Professorships at the University of Arizona and the University of California, Irvine, and the Fellowships for Excellence in Persian Studies at institutions such as UCLA and UCI.

Dr. Mir-Djalali’s impact extends well beyond academia into the broader cultural landscape. She has been a steadfast patron of public programs dedicated to Persian arts and culture, supporting conferences, workshops, documentary films, art exhibitions, and seminal publications. Prestigious institutions—including the Louvre Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Library, the State Hermitage Museum, the Asia Society, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Honolulu Museum of Art—have benefited from her and the Institute’s magnanimous support.

In recognition of her lifelong devotion to the arts and cultural preservation, the French Ministry of Culture awarded Dr. Mir-Djalali the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2018—one of France’s highest distinctions—honoring her indelible contributions to Persian cultural heritage and to the broader tapestry of intercultural understanding.

Today, Dr. Mir-Djalali remains unwavering in her advocacy for “Peace in the World through Education,” striving to ensure that the noble human values and profound philosophical insights enshrined in Persian literature are acclaimed, cherished, and embraced by diverse cultures across the globe.

Dr. Virginia Hinshaw is currently Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and Professor in the Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology at the UH Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine. As UH Manoa Chancellor from 2007 to 2012, she served as the chief executive officer responsible for providing both administrative and academic leadership to the flagship campus of the University of Hawai`i System.

Dr. Hinshaw is a renowned scientist with expertise in microbiology whose work has aided in the understanding of various aspects of the influenza virus and new approaches to vaccines. As a virologist, she has conducted research at the Medical College of Virginia, UC Berkeley, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and University of Wisconsin Madison. Her research for over 20 years has focused on influenza viruses in humans, lower mammals and birds; especially epidemiology, pathogenicity and immunology; and on vaccine development.

Dr. Hinshaw’s innovative and energetic teaching style, combined with her continual advocacy for research and education, has earned her national recognition and acclaim. In addition to teaching students and public groups, she established the JABSOM Mini-Medical School on Healthy Aging (MMSHA) at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, in partnership with the University of Hawai`i Foundation in 2014. The goal of the MMSHA is to provide Hawaii citizens with information on the best way to maintain health and well-being as they age.

Prior to joining UH Manoa, Dr. Hinshaw served as the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor at the University of California, Davis; and was the former Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Laboratory Technology, and a Master and Ph.D. in Microbiology, from Auburn University in Alabama.

Dr. Kaveh Abhari is a professor, scholar, and educator whose work illuminates the interplay between cultural understanding, organizational innovation, and systemic transformation as engines of human development. His research, teaching, and mentorship explore how knowledge, education, and technological evolution may be orchestrated to cultivate intellectual vitality, ethical leadership, and enduring cultural dialogue. Dedicated to bridging divides—whether disciplinary, societal, or global—Dr. Abhari advances a vision of progress rooted in human dignity, enriched by cultural heritage, and animated by a spirit of inquiry and imagination.

Pierre Omidyar is an entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as the founder of eBay, an online platform that gives people equal access to information, opportunity and tools to pursue their goals. Pierre created eBay in 1995 on the premise that people are basically good. Today, eBay enables more than 90 million buyers and sellers worldwide to connect and prosper over shared interests. In 2004, Pierre and his wife Pam co-founded Omidyar Network to invest in nonprofit and for-profit efforts that enable people around the world to improve their lives and make powerful contributions to their communities. Omidyar Network has funded organizations in areas such as microfinance, social media, and government transparency. Omidyar Network is part of The Omidyar Group, through which Pierre and Pam have contributed more than $1 Billion to programs spanning a range of causes, from poverty alleviation to human rights to disaster relief. In 2011, Pierre and Pam were honored with the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for the lasting impact of their work.

Today, Pierre continues to serve as Board Chairman of eBay. He also serves as a Trustee of Santa Fe Institute, Punahou School, and Tufts University, his alma matter. Pierre is also the publisher of Honolulu Civil Beat, a local news service in Hawaii that encourages greater civic participation through media.

http://www.omidyar.com/people/pierre-omidyar
https://www.ebayinc.com/company/our-history/

Jan Schneider is a graduate of Yale Law School and earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University. Prior to that, Jan graduated summa cum laude from Brown University in three years; earned a Master in International Relations and a Certificate from the Russian Institute of Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs; and received a Certificate in International Organizations from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

Jan has been actively involved in law and politics from local to international levels for many years. She has been a practicing lawyer, a law professor, an international civil servant, a businesswoman and a policy adviser. She is also the author of books and articles on domestic and international environmental law, baby boomer law and politics, and other contemporary legal and political issues. Jan has served on the Board of the American Society of International Law, the International Law Association (American Branch), the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area, and the Council on Ocean Law.

Jim Bickerton has been practicing law in Hawaii since 1989 and is a founding partner of the firm, Bickerton Dang, LLLP, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Jim is widely regarded as one of the best trial attorneys in Honolulu and has been continuously listed as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” and “Hawaii’s A+ Attorneys” since 1993. In addition to the hundreds of individual clients Jim has successfully represented over the years, his client list has included such notables as Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi, The New Yorker magazine, the NCAA, USA Today, developer Bruce Stark, hotelier Andre Tatibouet, the Hawaii State Campaign Spending Commission, Tokyu Corporation, the ownership of The Kahala Mandarin Oriental Resort, Simon & Schuster, and several past presidents of the Hawaii State Bar Association.

Jim currently represents a wide range of both plaintiff and defendant clients in commercial and real estate litigation, consumer class actions, professional liability of attorneys, accountants, and real estate brokers, medical malpractice, serious personal injury and wrongful death, and First Amendment and defamation issues. In addition to his defense work on some of the most complicated civil litigation cases, Jim has obtained numerous recoveries in excess of $1 Million by jury verdict, by arbitration award, and by settlement.

In addition to his trial practice, Jim is a past Director of the Hawaii State Bar Association, past Governor of the Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii, a member of the Hawaii Chief Justice’s Committee on the Adoption of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, and chaired the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Special Committee on Appellate Issues. Jim is also well-known in the community for his extensive pro bono representation on behalf of many of the most significant environmental, free speech, and community causes over the past two decades, including Save Sunset Beach, Kaimana Beach Coalition, Save the Star-Bulletin, Honolulu Weekly, and others.

Jim was born in England and lived in Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and Europe before moving to Hawaii in 1972. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Honolulu and the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1978, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with distinction. Jim received his law degree from the UCLA School of Law in 1981.

Dorn C. McGrath, Jr., FAICP, is Professor Emeritus of Urban and Regional Planning and Geography. He retired from the George Washington University in 2003 after 35 years on the faculty, where he was founder and Chairman of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Chairman of the Department of Geography and Regional Science, and Professor of Urban and Regional Planning. He also was one of the founders of GWU’s Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, and founded the Center for Urban and Environmental Research (CUER), an active research center housed in GWU’s Department of Geography. Throughout his tenure at GWU, Professor McGrath worked closely with area neighborhoods, the District of Columbia government, as well as state and federal agencies, addressing planning concerns in the capital. His academic and professional career influenced a generation of preservation planning practitioners.

Professor McGrath grew up in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and received his undergraduate degree in Architecture from Dartmouth College and a Master’s degree in City Planning from Harvard University. He began his planning career in the late 1950s as a consultant in urban renewal and city and transportation planning in New England. Between 1964 and 1968, he directed offices of the federal urban Renewal Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Professor McGrath also was a member of the adjunct faculty at the Johns Hopkins University, School for Advanced International Studies; and served as Chairman of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, from 1987 to 1996.