Mrs. Nina Ansary
Nina Ansary is President of The Ansary Foundation,
a Houston-based, nationwide non-profit organization
dedicated to the cause of education, healthcare,
child care, youth-related problems, adult literacy
and other public welfare issues, as well as greater
international cooperation and better understanding
among the community of nations.
Following a strong family tradition, Nina oversees
a wide-ranging program in support of the philanthropic
activities of a long list of institutions in the
United States. The Ansary Fellows Program at Harvard
University's John F. Kennedy School of Government,
Ansary Fellowships at Texas A & M University,
The Ansary Atrium at The Texas Heart Institute,
The Ansary Gallery of American History at George
Bush Presidential Library, The Ansary Series at
The American Academy of Diplomacy and, more recently,
a $15 million grant for the creation of the Ansary
Center for Stem Cell Therapeutics at Weill Cornell
Medical College, Cornell University, are among
the projects with which the Foundation is identified.

The Ansary Foundation has also been a strong
supporter of America's Promise, MD Anderson Cancer
Center, George C. Marshall Foundation, Iranian
American Technology Council, EveryChild Foundation,
Best Friends Foundation, Society of Iranian Women
for Education, and Kickstart. Educational projects
in Singapore and the Caribbean Region, as well
as medical facilities in Africa and South America
are among international projects supported by
the Foundation.
Nina serves as Executive Vice President of The
Parman Capital Group, a privately-held global
investment enterprise. Through subsidiaries and
operational entities, Parman maintains extensive
interests in oil and gas-related industries, real
estate, international trade, financial services,
and leisure and tourist development projects.
From 1996 to the year 2000, Nina served as Secretary
to the Board of Directors of IRI International
Corporation (IRI), a leading manufacturer of oilfield
equipment and downhole tools. IRI's $700 million
Initial Public Offering on the New York Stock
Exchange was successfully completed in 1997, in
which Nina was a significant stockholder. The
Company was subsequently merged with National
Oilwell, Inc. (NYSE: NOI), the world's largest
manufacturer of oilfield equipment.
Nina holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from
Barnard College, Columbia University, and a Master's
degree in Political Science from Columbia University.
She is married and has one child.