Our Leadership
STAFF
STAFF
Co-Executive Director
Sanjay Sethi serves as AFI’s Co-Executive Director, overseeing the coordination of its advocacy programs and legal services.
Co-Executive Director
Ashley Tucker serves as AFI’s Co-Executive Director, leading planning and implementation of its programs, operations, and legal services for at-risk artists.
Director of Legal Services
Mr. Mazaheri serves as AFI’s Director of Legal Services, overseeing the coordination of its resettlement programs and legal services.
Development Manager
Amita Vempati serves as AFI’s Development Manager. Amita uses her passions for social justice and art to connect with communities all over the world.
Senior Officer, Human Rights Research & Policy
Johanna serves as Senior Officer, Human Rights Research & Policy, working as a lead editor and researcher for the organization’s regional reports on artistic freedom.
Senior Officer, Strategic Initiatives & Relocation
Gracie Golden serves as AFI’s Senior Officer of Strategic Initiatives & Relocation, providing resettlement support across programs.
Officer, Operations & Programs
Zanya Andrade Fitz serves as AFI’s Operations & Programs Officer, implementing mechanisms of strategy, research, and support for AFI's programs and operations.
Human Rights Paralegal
Marty Garbarini serves as AFI’s Human Rights Paralegal, providing support to the legal team in our pursuit to safeguard the right to artistic freedom for international artists at risk.
Coordinator, Special Projects & Human Rights Advocacy
Skylar Davidson serves as AFI’s Coordinator of Special Projects & Human Rights Advocacy, providing support for AFI’s programs, operations, development, and communications.
Board of Directors
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Partner, Jenner & Block | United States Ambassador and Permanent Representative, United Nations Human Rights Council
Ambassador (ret.) Keith M. Harper is a partner at Jenner & Block, where he chairs the firm's Native American Law Practice.
Founder and President, Gratias Partners
Daniela Kaisth is Founder and President of Gratias Partners (GP), a philanthropy advisory firm that helps donors to give more effectively and non-profits to develop new initiatives through collaboration and high-impact philanthropy.
Executive Director, SDK Foundation for Human Dignity | Founding Member & Professor Emeritus, CUNY School of Law
Dr. Dinesh Khosla is the Founder and Executive Director of the SDK Foundation for Human Dignity, and Founding Member & Professor Emeritus at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law.
Deputy Executive Director, SDK Foundation for Human Dignity
Divya D. Khosla has over a decade of experience in US foreign policy
Vice President - Strategic Initiatives New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts (NYFA)
Since November 2014, Jim Miller has been the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts (NYFA).
Chief Digital Officer, Orveon Global
Salima Popatia is the Senior Vice President, Global Online MMA Group, overseeing marketing, merchandising and analytic strategies across The Esteé Lauder Companies portfolio of 30 leading prestige beauty brands.
Co-Executive Director, Artistic Freedom Initiative | Founding Partner, Sethi & Mazaheri LLC
Sanjay Sethi serves as AFI’s Co-Executive Director, overseeing coordination of its advocacy programs and legal services.
Co-Executive Director, Artistic Freedom Initiative
Ashley Tucker serves as AFI’s Co-Executive Director, leading the planning and implementation of its programs, operations, and legal services for at-risk artists.
Advisory Board
ADVISORY BOARD
Senior Associate at Sethi & Mazaheri LLC | Director, International Short Film Competition at Forum on Life, Culture & Society
Shervin Abachi is an Associate at Sethi & Mazaheri Law Firm where he works with clients on a variety of immigration and criminal matters.
Independent Non-Profit Consultant
David Dean has over 30 years of experience as an arts administrator, strategic planner, and non-profit fundraiser.
Director of Institutional Giving, Bronx Museum of the Arts
Elizabeth Grady is a curator, cultural advisor, and consultant, cross-pollinating socially engaged art (SEA) and management consulting to create emotionally intelligent organizations and effective arts for change programs.
Composer, Musician, Songwriter
Siddhartha Khosla is a film and television composer, and singer/songwriter/producer of the critically acclaimed band, Goldspot.
Professor Of Law, Director Of Center For Social Justice, Seton Hall Law
Lori A. Nessel's teaching and scholarship focus largely in the areas of immigration and refugee law and policy, international human rights, rule of law, and access to justice.
Film Producer, Festival Programmer
Sara Nodjoumi is a film producer and festival programmer. She co-produced and co-directed I Call Myself Persian: Iranians In America, which aired on PBS and premiered at the MoMA Documentary Fortnight.
Executive Director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
Sarah Leah Whitson is the Executive Director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).