About IASEA

In 1995, an effort was spearheaded to start a professional civil engineering organization for the Iranian Civil Engineers in United States, which ultimately culminated in the present day IASEA.

Initially, the idea of such an organization was promoted by Reza Abassi and Iraj Ghaemi. In the very first few informal discussions, other individuals such as Nasser Abbaszadeh, Farhad Alamolhoda, Nashat Motallabi, and Sid Mousavi also participated.
 

As the level of interest grew, the first “formal” meeting was held in the offices of the Avacon Engineering in Diamond Bar. Twenty plus civil engineers were in attendance that day and a number of opinions were expressed. After a couple of meetings in Diamond Bar, a more central location was sought and the meetings were moved into the City of Irvine.
 

In the early 1996, at the RBF offices, the first Board of Directors was elected to formally organize the Society, move toward adopting the by-laws, and secure the non-profit status for the group. The members of the first Board of Directors were Iraj Ghaemi, Reza Abassi, Leila Hajalilou, Nasser Abbaszadeh, and Shahab Nazarie.

Through the help of attorney Henry Toufanian, the Society adopted its by-laws in May 1996. In the August of 1996, IASEA was registered as a non-profit corporation in the State of California. In the meantime, a permanent place for general meetings, the offices of the Irvine Ranch Water District in Irvine, was secured, and other rudimentary tasks such as a bank account and a mailbox were taken care of.
 

Upon attaining the formal non-profit status, the first Board of Directors felt that new elections should be held under the newly registered by-laws. In September of 1996, elections were held and the following individuals were elected as the second Board of Directors: Sid Mousavi, Reza Abassi, Parviz Azar, Mir Fattahi, Arman Behtash, and Kayvon Shakerin.
 

The new Board completed other basic tasks such as acquiring a voice mail and establishing a formalized method of disseminating meeting program agendas. Initially five and ultimately three committees were formed to handle the miscellaneous routine and special events such as fund-raisings and the Persian New Year’s celebrations. Largely through the efforts of Massoud Vatankhahy, editor-in-chief, the first issue of the Society Newsletter was published in March of 1997. The Society also adopted its own unique emblem, the one that graces all Society materials, as a symbol of the organization.
Special guest speakers, such as Congressman Edward Royce and the MTA Chair Larry Zarian were invited to speak to the membership. The Society adopted its Mission Statement and encouraged its members to become politically active in their communities, counties, or at the state level.
 

In January 1998, the third Board of Directors was elected and took office in April: Nasser Abbaszadeh, Mir Fattahi, David Niknafs, Souri Amirani, Farhad Alamolhoda, and Ali Pakzad. The third Board unveiled a programmatic approach for its term in the office. Selection of the Engineer of the Year was promoted and the Society introduced its choice for the first Civil Engineer of the Year in October 1998. The Board also stressed the importance of an educational scholarship and established guidelines for an award in the amount of $500. The Society also secured its tax exemption status with the IRS and the State of California in 1998 as well as establishing this home-page on the Internet.
 

In January 1999, the fourth Board of Directors was elected to take office in April 1999: John Oskoui, Sid Mousavi, David Niknafs, Simin Arazbegi, George Boghossian, and Reza Abassi.
 

In January 2000, the fifth Board of Directors was elected and took office in April 2000: Fred Marzara, Shafi Sharifan, George Boghossian, Keyvon Pirbazari, and Ali Pakzad.
 

In January 2001, the sixth Board of Directors was elected: George Boghossian, Nasser Abbaszadeh, Massoud Vatankhahi, Mir T. Fattahi, and Fred Marzara.
 

In January 2002, the seventh Board of Directors was elected: George Boghossian, Yazdan Emrani, Ali Khezry, Bahman Safyari, and M. Reza Mehranpour.
 

In January 2003, the Society adopted a By-Laws Amendment and changed its election procedures. Under the new guidelines, only the “Treasurer” position is elected for the first year. In year two, the Treasurer becomes Vice-chair; in year three, the Chairperson, and in years four and five still serves the Board as Past Chair.
 

New elections were held in February 2003, and the following individuals were selected as the eighth Board of Directors for 2003: Mr. Massoud Vatankhahi, Chairperson; Mr. Mir T. Fattahi, Vice-chair; Mr. Nasser Abbaszadeh, Treasurer; Mr. George Boghosssian, Past Chair; and Fred Marzara, Past Chair.

The ninth Board-members for the year 2004 were: Mr. Mir T. Fattahi, Chairerson; Mr. Nasser Abbaszadeh, Vice-chair, Mr. Mohammad Heiat, Treasurer; Mr. Massoud Vatankhahi, Past Chair, and Mr. George Boghossian, Past Chair.

The 2005 board-members selected were: Mr. Nasser Abbaszadeh, Chairperson, Mr. Mohammad Heiat, Vice-chair, Ms. Ati Eskandar, Treasurer; Mr. Mir T. Fattahi, Past Chair, and Mr. Massoud Vatankhahy, Past Chair.

Recent Board Members