SPEAKERS
BRITTNEY REZAEI
Managing Attorney,
CAIR SF Bay Area
COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD
Brittney Rezaei serves as the Managing Attorney for both the Civil Rights and Immigrants' Rights legal teams at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. She provides strategic direction and oversight to ensure the effective delivery of legal services to marginalized communities. Brittney earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law. In her role with CAIR-SFBA, Brittney has supported IABA and other coalition partners' legal challenge to the "waiver" provisions of the Trump Administration's Travel Ban. In May 2024, a federal judge approved an injunction in that action, providing a clear visa reconsideration process for almost 25,000 individuals from seven impacted countries including Iran.
NEDA MAGHBOULEH
Canada Research Chair,
University of British Columbia
TRAILBLAZER AWARD
Neda Maghbouleh is the Canada Research Chair in Race, Ethnicity, Migration, and Identity at the Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia. She has a PhD in Sociology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Neda has provided expertise on race and ethnicity categories to organizations like the American Medical Association and the Spencer Foundation. Her 2017 book, “The Limits of Whiteness: Iranian Americans and the Everyday Politics of Race,” received honors from the Association of American Publishers and the American Sociological Association. Thanks to Neda's important research and tireless advocacy, the 2030 Census will, for the first time, include Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) as a category option.
COOLEY LLP
PRO BONO AWARD
Through its pro bono work, Cooley seeks to empower individuals to seek justice and opportunity, provide nonprofit organizations the tools they need to effect change, and support the economic development of underserved communities. Cooley lawyers advocate for the interests of pro bono clients on a wide range of issues, including but not limited to, immigration, racial justice, voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, nonprofit advising, and small business counseling. The firm collaborates with numerous local and national legal services organizations in its pro bono efforts, including Pars Equality Center. Cooley attorneys regularly attend Pars Equality Center’s immigration clinics in Fremont, where they help individuals complete applications to become lawful permanent residents and apply for citizenship.
HONORABLE AHTOSSA PIROOZFAR FULLERTON
Judge, Marin County Superior Court
HONORABLE RECOGNITION
Judge Fullerton obtained a Bachelor's Degree from the University of California at Davis, a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Santa Clara University School of Business, and a Juris Doctor Degree from Santa Clara University School of Law. After graduating law school, she excelled as an attorney, becoming a Partner at Wasacz Hilley & Fullerton LLP, and serving as the President of the Marin County Bar Association. In May 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Judge Fullerton to the bench as a Superior Court Judge in Marin County.
HONORABLE BENTRISH SATARZADEH
Judge, Alameda County Superior Court
HONORABLE RECOGNITION
Judge Satarzadeh was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and immigrated as an 8-year-old to England. Two years later, she immigrated to the United States. She is a Persian-Assyrian American. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Golden Gate University with highest honors in 2002. After law school, she worked as a trial attorney at the Cartwright Law Firm, and as both a research attorney and Commissioner at the Alameda County Superior Court. Over the last 15 years, Judge Satarzadeh has served the Judicial Council’s Educational Curriculum Committees for the Center for Judicial Education and Research. In January 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Judge Satarzadeh to the bench as a Superior Court Judge in Alameda County.