Leadership

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.

Senior Attorney, Immigration & Human Rights

Zelo Safi serves as AFI's Senior Attorney, Immigration & Human Rights, providing legal services for at-risk artists from around the world. 

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.

Manager of Operations

Joshua is AFI’s Manager of Operations. He joins the team at a critical point in its growth and is excited to contribute to that growth sustainably.

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.

Paralegal, Immigration & Human Rights

Marty Garbarini serves as AFI’s Immigration & Human Rights Paralegal, providing support to the legal team in our pursuit to safeguard the right to artistic freedom for international artists at risk.

Junior Officer, Human Rights Research & Policy

Skylar Davidson serves as AFI’s Junior Officer, Human Rights Research & Policy, providing support for AFI’s programs, operations, development, and communications.

Intake Assistant

Paloma Chavez serves as AFI's Intake Assistant.

AAPP Europe Resettlement Coordinator

Yama Rahimi serves as AAPP Europe’s first resettlement coordinator, assisting artists with German visa applications and providing holistic resettlement support.

Attorney

Berlin-based attorney Michael Mai coordinates advocacy before the German government on securing artists' entry into Germany.

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.

White House, National Security Council Director for Global Development (former); U.S. Department of State

Divya D. Khosla has nearly fifteen years of experience in U.S. foreign policy and national security. She has served as the Director for Global Development at the White House National Security Council since March 2021

New York Film Academy Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Executive Director, 10 ARTS Foundation

Jim Miller was a fashion industry entrepreneur before beginning his career in higher education at the Institute of International Education (IIE), where he served in various leadership capacities.

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).