Dr. Sharon S. Nazarian of Brentwood was recently elected to her first three-year term on the Board of Directors of HIAS, the global migration agency of the American Jewish community. Guided by Jewish values and 130 years of expertise, HIAS protects vulnerable refugees worldwide, helping them build new lives and reuniting them with their families in safety and security.
Dr. Nazarian is the President of the Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation, with a regional office in Israel named the Ima Foundation. A focus on education and public policy is core to Dr. Nazarian’s philanthropic perspective. An adjunct professor in political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Nazarian is the founder of the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at UCLA and Chair of its Advisory Board.
She is also one of the primary shareholders of Nazarian Enterprises, a venture capitalist group for green reusable energy, and SBE, a successful entertainment group that owns several high-end hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs.
Her undergraduate studies took place at the University of Southern California, with double majors in journalism and international relations. She went on to receive Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy degrees – also from the University of Southern California – in political science, specializing in political economy and economic development in newly industrialized countries.
Dr. Nazarian sits on a myriad of boards, including the American Friends of Hebrew University, American Society of the University of Haifa, and the Pacific Council on International Policy, as well as the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, where she serves on the Executive Committee. Additionally, Dr. Nazarian is a member of the Board of Trustees for Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences.
She is the daughter of Younes and Soraya Nazarian, and currently resides in Brentwood with her three children.
