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.