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Help Us Preserve Laleh's Wisdom for the FutureTo bring Laleh's wisdom to life as an online knowledge base, we are raising much needed funds that will pay for data scientists to synthesize the thousands of data points in Dr. Bakhtiar’s research so they can be shared through AI technology. Any amount you donate helps create a more complete picture of Laleh's wisdom and life story for future generations. All donations are tax-deductible.
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Mission
Our mission is to elevate and continue the work of its namesake, the renowned Iranian-American Scholar, Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar.
We plan to expand the reach of Dr. Bakhtiar’s pioneering vision by popularizing her work through blogs, social media posts, and academic papers. To cement her legacy for the future and reach wider audiences, we plan to apply data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to her body of work. By incorporating Dr. Bakhtiar’s thoughts into modern technologies, we will help provide intellectual leadership in the space of Islamic spirituality with a particular focus on women.
We plan to expand the reach of Dr. Bakhtiar’s pioneering vision by popularizing her work through blogs, social media posts, and academic papers. To cement her legacy for the future and reach wider audiences, we plan to apply data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to her body of work. By incorporating Dr. Bakhtiar’s thoughts into modern technologies, we will help provide intellectual leadership in the space of Islamic spirituality with a particular focus on women.
Vision
As a women’s advocate, Laleh used her work to improve the lives of women. She paved the way for Muslims to walk boldly, uniting faith and knowledge. She fearlessly brought a powerful feminine perspective to fields of scholarship historically reserved for men. From her gender neutral translation of the Quran to her work advocating for moral healing, Dr. Bakhtiar has helped empower countless Muslims around the world.
We will continue her legacy of advocacy and community service by working to advance women’s scholarship and empowerment. We will help inspire women of all faiths and backgrounds to dream big, and help give them the tools they need to achieve those dreams.
We will continue her legacy of advocacy and community service by working to advance women’s scholarship and empowerment. We will help inspire women of all faiths and backgrounds to dream big, and help give them the tools they need to achieve those dreams.
History
Born in Tehran on July 29, 1938 and raised in America, Dr. Bakhtiar dedicated more than 50 years of her life to the study of the mystical or Sufi dimensions of Islam and to revisiting Islamic texts from a Muslim woman’s perspective, including her widely read 2007 translation of the Quran called The Sublime Quran. Dr. Bakhtiar was the Founder and President of the Institute of Traditional Psychoethics and Guidance founded in 1992 and Scholar-in Residence at Kazi Publications.
Staff
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Karim Ardalan
President and Board Member An experienced technology professional, Karim Ardalan brings years of experience running a successful web design agency to the Institute as its President and Board Member. Karim specializes in Information Technology, IT strategy, infrastructure, web services, and project management. Karim will help guide the Institute in fundraising and strategy. Karim founded his web design company MIS, Inc. in 1995 when he saw the potential of the World Wide Web. With experience in both design and development, Karim can bridge the gap between the creative and the technical. He has worked with hundreds of clients all over the world, helping them improve their websites and e-commerce strategy.
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Mani Ardalan Farhadi
Vice President and Board Member A global thinker and creative thought leader, Mani Ardalan Farhadi’s experience spans three decades of design programming and planning for learning environments. Currently, she is a Senior Facilities Planner at Stanford University School of Medicine, in OFPM (Office of Facilities Planning and Management). Mani combines her passion for education, with extensive planning skills to conduct feasibility studies and programming on research space. Prior work includes Taylor Design, Steinberg Hart, and Sasaki Associates. Using strategic thinking, she is integral to campus projects, having collaborated with public and private institutions from K-12 to Higher Education. Described as ‘the client in the room', Mani’s keen ability to listen builds consensus with end users.
Mani’s leadership extends into a wide range of volunteering. Her roles include former Board of Trustee (Los Gatos Union School District), and Chair of Bond Oversight Committee, receiving ‘Citizen Architect’ award. She mentors for WIA (Women in Architecture) Silicon Valley and co-founded BIBI (Banou’s in Building Industry) for Iranian-Americans. Current non-profit roles include serving as Board Member for the Institute for Traditional Psychoethics and Guidance, DEI Officer and Board Member for Wellesley College Alumna Class of ’84, and Board of Directors for NICA (Niosha International Conservatory of Arts). Mani has served as moderator and juror, been panelist at workshops/conferences: SCUP, AIA, SPUR, EQXD, ACSA, SAH, WWD, CCFC, CCLC, A4LE, CAE, SF Design Week, GenARTS, as well as presentations at Mills College, Santa Clara University, Radcliffe College, Harvard University, and Wellesley College, on topics ranging from Case Studies to Inclusivity and Intersectionality. Graduating from Wellesley College (B.A. Architecture), and subsequently Boston Architectural College (B.Arch), her formal education was supplemented with SCUP Planning Institute (Step III), LEED AP, Leadership Los Gatos and MIG (Management in Governance). |
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Davar Ardalan
Secretary and Board Member Davar Ardalan is a journalist and tech entrepreneur focused on data equity, artificial intelligence and cultural storytelling. Davar is also the Founder of IVOW AI and National Geographic's executive producer of audio, where she oversees the award winning podcast series, "Overheard at National Geographic,” as well as other narrative storytelling podcasts in production. Prior to this, she was deputy director of the Presidential Innovation Fellowship Program in Washington D.C. and before that a veteran journalist at NPR News for two decades. In May 2014, Davar was the recipient of a United States Ellis Island Medal of Honor, for individual achievement and for promoting cultural unity. In early 2021, Ardalan and her siblings Karim Ardalan and Mani Ardalan Farhadi came together to preserve the wisdom and work of their late mother, Islamic scholar, Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar into 21-century voice technologies. Through Dr. Bakhtiar's non-profit, the Institute of Traditional Psychoethics and Guidance, they are preserving their mother's scholarship for the ages.
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