Revealing Our Inspirational Journey.
Discover the driving force behind the Foundation for Community Government & Entrepreneurship, our unwavering commitment to empowerment, and the collective efforts that illuminate the path toward a brighter future. Join us as we share our story, values, and the transformative impact we strive to create, hand in hand with our global community.
Creating inspiring memories
FCGE, the Foundation for Community Government & Entrepreneurship, is dedicated to transforming the lives of Iranian women. Our mission centers around education, skills development, healthcare, and economic empowerment, all geared towards breaking down barriers and unlocking the potential of Iranian women.
Thanks to your support, we’ve already achieved significant milestones, but our work continues. Join us on this journey of empowerment. Together, we can create a brighter future for Iranian women, providing them with the opportunities they deserve for prosperous lives.
Who we are
Dr. Kamal Azari
Founder and President
Scholar and entrepreneur Dr. Kamal Y. Azari was born in Shiraz, Iran. He completed his undergraduate work in Mathematics and Political Science later graduated from Brooklyn Polytechnics with MS in Engineering in 1977. He received his PhD. From Fordham university in comparative politics. He is one of the founding members of the Iranian Studies Association at the University of California, Berkeley and a founding member and former president of the Alliance for Democracy in Iran. He took part in numerous development projects while studying and lectured on political and state developments in the Middle East for more than twenty years. He lives in Sonoma County, California as a vineyard farmer.
He is responsible for devising the FCGE’s strategy and implementing its core mission.
Dr. Mehdi Hojjat
Member of board of advisory
Mehdi Hojjat established a successful center at Lehigh University through the acquisition of grants from various government agencies. He provided assistance to numerous firms in securing financing for their domestic and international market expansion efforts. While working at LVIBF, he utilized a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to aid 40 agricultural and prepared meal producers in expanding their global market presence. At Infonxx, Mehdi incorporated simulation techniques into financial analysis, budget preparation, and the creation of S1 statements for IPOs. During his tenure at Neumann University, he authored two books and a multitude of finance-related articles, in addition to instructing finance courses and serving as the faculty senate treasurer responsible for approving and distributing grants to faculty members. Most recently, Mehdi established a non-profit organization with a global reach.
Nikahang Kowsar
Member of board of advisory
Nikahang Kowsar, 53, is an award-winning Iranian-Canadian journalist and analyst residing in the US. He worked as a cartoonist, writer, and geology expert before fleeing Iran in 2003, where he was arrested for one of his cartoons and received death threats from pro-regime Islamists. Kowsar was censored by the Khatami administration officials for exposing their water management policies. The regime’s water created a nationwide water crisis where lakes, marshes, and groundwater resources disappeared. Iran ios now considered a water-bankrupt nation.
Kowsar now produces a weekly show on water shortage in Iran that’s aired via different satellite TV networks and appears as an environmental and water issuesanalyst on Iran International TV, BBC Persian, VOA Persian and Radio Farda.
Nikahang is a member of the board of directors of Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI) and a former winner of CRNI’s International Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning. He was a member of the New York Times cartoons syndicate before it was shut down in 2019.
