Narimon Safavi is a Chicago based Iranian-American entrepreneur who is also a commentator and analyst for the radio program Worldview on WBEZ ( Chicago Public Media, an NPR affiliate ).
Born in Tehran to an Azari - Iranian family, he studied Chemistry & Philosophy at the Illinois State University and is now serving on the Human Rights Watch - Chicago Committee and as an ambassador of the DC based National Iranian-American Council ( NIAC, the largest grass roots advocacy organization of Iranian-Americans ). He was also a co-founder of the Pasfarda Art & Cultural Exchange whose mission is to build cultural bridges and foster dialogue between U.S. & Iran. Previously, Nari has been involved in creating ethical diamond mining projects / business models in several West African countries one of which was financed by Tiffany & Co.
He has served on the boards or councils of the Gene Siskel Film Center, Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, the DC based Citizens for Global Solutions, a lead NGO for the formation of the International Human Rights Court in Hague, Netherlands ; as well as Chicago Public Media.
In 2013 , Nari had the honor of being appointed by the director of the National Endowment for the Arts ( NEA ) to a panel assessing U.S. based art organizations. He regularly appears on Persian, Spanish and English language programs affiliated with media outlets such as NPR, PBS, BBC and Telecinco. His public speaking engagements have covered topics ranging from Iran, to private sector social responsibility and philanthropy, to art and film criticism and cultural policy. His essay on Iran, a contribution to the anthology called "What's Next?" edited by the economist David Hale was published as a book by Yale University on May 2011.
He is fluent in Persian and English and proficient in the Turkish and Spanish languages. His latest project, COSMOPOLIS will be an incubator for cultural entrepreneurship and institution building projects that create global linkages, with a probable launch in 2024. He has also lead delegations of cultural diplomacy between U.S, & Iran including one for the Commonwealth Club and is an advisor to the Mevlana Rumi foundation in Turkiye. In his spare time, among other hobbies, he loves to divulge into culinary endeavors. He is the Global Cooking Smackdown Champion of WBEZ with his recipe of Ghormeh Sabzi, borrowed from the tenth century Persian / Moslem renaissance man, Avicenna ( Ibn e Sina ).
