Afghan Friends Network
68 Ramona Ave
San Francisco, California 94103

Afghan Friends Network 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.

Board Officers and Board Members
as of April 01, 2003

Chairperson of Board of Directors, Hon. Carol Ruth Silver
President, Board Member, Humaira Ghilzai
Board Member, Pietro Calogero
Board Member, Ghulam Qader Popal
Board Member, Vacant
 Treasurer, Vacant
Secretary, Vacant

Biographies of Board Officers:

 

Hon. Carol Ruth Silvers, Chairperson of Board of Directors

 

CAROL RUTH SILVER, Chairperson of Board of Directors 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, President, Board Member

Humaira was born and raised in Kabul Afghanistan. In 1979, she and her family fled Afghanistan after the Russian invasion. She is a strong activist for the Afghan people and Afghanistan. Her professional experience ranges from six years at Sun Microsystems in International Marketing to three years at Oracle Corporation as Director of Marketing. She is currently a High Tech Marketing Consultant working in the San Francisco area. Her father was born in Ghazni, Afghanistan. She speaks Dari.

Pietro Calogeros , Board Member

Pietro Calogero studied Urban Geography, Architecture, and City Planning at U.C. Berkeley. He began studying Central Asia in 1986. Pietro has eight years of professional experience in urban design and housing, including oversight of the construction of a 200-unit low-income housing development in San Francisco for the Housing Authority. In September 2002 he joined with licensed contractor Alfred Bay to form Epicenter Design. Pietro has recently completed one contract with the Afghanistan Ministry of Housing and is anticipating returing to Kabul shortly

Ghulam Qader Popal , Board Member

Ghulam is a licensed civil engineer in the state of California. 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 design project engineer working on three transportation projects in Solano and Sonoma counties. He is fluent in Dari and Pashto.

 


Copyright © 2003 Afghan Friends Network Inc.
All rights reserved


68 Ramona Ave

San Francisco, CA 94103
 800-831-2339
Fax 866-330-2342
info@afghanfriends.net