Afghan Friends Network
PO Box 170368
San Francisco, California 94117

Afghan Friends Network (AFN) was founded in San Francisco Bay Area in 2002 as a nonprofit organization to enable friendships, networks, and partnerships between individuals, organizations and cities in the United States and Afghanistan. We believe the experience of cultural, spiritual, and technical exchange that enriches the lives of all participants .

Advisory Board Members as of February 28, 2006   Dana King - Anchor, CBS 5 Pietro Calogero, Educator, Architect and activist David Hurlbert, marketing consultant for Fortune 500 companies Tony Abrahim - Founder and Owner of IMG Home Sam Abrahim - Founder and Owner of IMG Home Tish Momirov - President of Marra Foundation Marian Garvin -Controller Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers Camilla Barry - Principal of Barry Scientific Tamim Ansary - Writer, Scholar David Fleishhacker - Writer, Scholar Mejgan Ali Afshan, Staff Assistant to Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Elsie De Laere, Teacher and Teacher Trainer Marianne O'Grady, Educator

Board Officers and Board Members as of April 30, 2008   Board Memeber and AFN Parlimentarian, Hon. Carol Ruth Silver Chairperson of Board of Directors, Humaira Ghilzai Board Memeber and AFN President, Susan Aumack. Board Member, Marilyn Good Board Member, Ghulam Qader Popal Board Member and AFN Treasurer, John Bortner Board Member, Yasmene Mian

Committees as of April 30, 2008 Fundraising Humaira Ghilzai (head), Yasmene Mian, John Bortner, Susan Aumack PR & Community Outreach Susan Aumack (head), Yasmene Mian, Carol Ruth Silver, Ghulam Q. Popal Programs John Bortner (head), Carol Ruth Silver, Ghulam Q. Popal, Humaira Ghilzai Strategic Planning Humaira Ghilzai, Susan Aumack, Yasmene Mian, Carol Ruth Silver, Ghulam Q. Popal, John Bortner

Biographies of Board Officers

Hon. Carol Ruth Silver, Founder and Parlimentarian
CAROL RUTH SILVER, Founder of Afghan Friends Network, is the principal in Law Offices of Carol Ruth Silver in San Francisco, California, specializing in real estate matters including litigation, transactions and mediation. At present she also sits on the San Francisco Assessment Appeals Board and has an active license as a real estate broker. Carol Ruth Silver has a long history as an activist in social and humanitarian causes, from participation in the Freedom Rides (seeking equal rights for African-Americans) and directing the Delano office of California Rural Legal Assistance (helping farmworkers assert their rights) to her most recent cause, assisting the people of Afghanistan in the rebuilding of their nation. Along the way she founded the Chinese American International School of San Francisco, was a national consultant on Legal Services for the Poor, served on numerous entities of the legal community including the State Bar of California House of Delegates and the Committee on the Right to Legal Service of the American Bar Association. She was elected to and served three terms on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In that capacity she also served as president of two regional organizations, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District Board of Directors, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board of Directors. In her early life she worked as a clerk at the United Nations at its headquarters, and is a founding member of the World Centre San Francisco, a community group supporting the ideals of the United Nations. Education: University of Chicago College, Batchelor of Arts (with honors); University of Chicago Law School, Doctor of Jurisprudence; Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Institute of Politics, Fellow. Personal: Ms Silver is the mother of two grown sons, and grandmother of two grandsons.


Humaira Ghilzai, Chairperson of Board of Directors
Humaira was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. In 1979, she and her family fled Afghanistan after the Russian invasion. Humaira grew up in the Bay Area but still maintains her connections with Afghanistan and speaks fluent Dari. She is an activist for the Afghan people and Afghanistan. Humaira has been president of Afghan Friends Network for the past 2 1/2 years and she is the founder of the Hayward Ghazni Sister City Formation Committee. Afghan Friends Network is a volunteer run organization based in San Francisco. Humaira has spearheaded a variety of projects ranging from Sister City relationships to improving education for girls and women in Afghanistan. Prior to her philanthropic work, Humaira was an executive at Sun Microsystems and Oracle Corporation. Humaira lives with her husband and 2 daughters in San Francisco, CA. 

Susan Aumack, Board Member and President of Organization
Susan is a high-tech industry professional with more than 15 years of business development and marketing management experience. She is currently director of global program marketing at Oracle Corporation based in Redwood Shores, CA. Susan is actively involved with several charitable organizations supporting the cultural, academic and spiritual needs of people living in the United States and developing nations, such as Afghanistan and others located in the Middle East and South America. Susan has an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird-the Garvin School of International Management, Glendale, AZ and a BA from the College of New Jersey. She lives in San Mateo, CA.


Ghulam Qader Popal, PE, PMP , Board Member
Ghulam is a licensed civil engineer in the state of California and a certified project management professional (PMP). He has worked as a consulting engineer, construction manager, project and program manager for the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations. He has worked both in Afghanistan and in refugee camps along the border with Pakistan. He has over a decade of experience in community development and inter-cultural management mainly with reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure facilities in rural areas. In April 1999, he joined the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as a transportation engineer and is currently working as a District Branch Chief working on a number of transportation projects in Solano and Sonoma counties. He is fluent in Pashto and Dari.

 

John Bortner, Board Member and Treasurer
John is a high tech professional with marketing and alliance experience at Sun Microsystems and Oracle. He is currently a senior program manager at Oracle. John has a Bachelor of Arts in art history and an MBA in marketing. He has worked at the San Jose Museum of Art, the Crocker Art Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has a strong interest in education and cultural issues in Afghanistan.

 

 

Marilyn Good, Board Member

Marilyn is a marketing and alliance professional with more than 20 years experience at high-tech companies including IBM and Oracle. She is currently senior director of marketing and communications for global alliances and channels at Oracle Corporation in Redwood Shores, CA. Marilyn has a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada. She has been involved in fund-raising for breast cancer research and related needs. She feels strongly that educating children is the key to building a strong Afghanistan. 

Yasmene Mian, Board Member
Yasmene was born in Kabul, but grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. Due to the Russian invasion, her family fled their country in 1983 and after a 3 year stay in Pakistan they ultimately found refuge in the United States. A graduate of Santa Clara University, she holds a BS in Business with an emphasis in Marketing. Her strong rooted connection with Afghanistan fuels her desire to raise awareness on the plight of the Afghan people. She believes education is a fundamental human right and it is the only way towards establishing freedom and justice in Afghanistan. She is hopeful that if we all give a little bit of ourselves, a lot can be accomplished.