Hamed Farmand
President
Hamed Farmand is a children’s rights activist and the founder of Children of Imprisoned Parents International (COIPI). Born and raised in Iran, he moved to the U.S. in 2010. His advocacy is deeply personal—his mother was imprisoned for five years when he was six years old—giving him firsthand experience of the challenges faced by children of incarcerated parents.
Hamed has dedicated over a decade to advocacy, awareness-raising, and providing services for families affected by parental incarceration, particularly within the Iranian community. Under the mentorship of Dr. Shervin Assari, he developed a comprehensive understanding of the psychological effects of parental incarceration on children. He also studied the basics of psychology at NOVA College.
His commitment to child protection and social justice is reflected in his extensive training. He holds certifications in “Child Protection: Children’s Rights in Theory and Practice” from Harvard University, a MicroMasters in “Social Work, Practice, Policy, and Research” from the University of Michigan, and “Resilience in Children Exposed to Trauma, Disaster, and War” from the University of Minnesota. Additionally, he earned a certification in “Advocating Social Justice and Change” from the University of Adelaide.
Hamed is also the author of Missing Mum (in Farsi), a book that recounts his childhood experience growing up with an incarcerated mother.
Shervin Assari
Chair
Dr. Shervin Assari is an Associate Professor and the Director of Research at the Department of Urban Public Health at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, a role he has held since 2021. He has extensive research experience in child development among Black youth and has served as a co-investigator on multiple NIH-funded studies. His work focuses on incarceration, racism and discrimination, health equity, social determinants of health, mental health, and chronic disease. He has authored more than 500 peer-reviewed scientific papers on these topics. Dr. Assari has been a faculty member at Charles R. Drew University since 2019.
Previously, he was a visiting professor at UCLA’s Department of Psychology in 2018 and a research faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan from 2015 to 2019. He has also chaired committees and served on the board of directors for the American College of Epidemiology (ACE) and the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB).
Dr. Assari completed a health policy fellowship at the University of Michigan in 2018 and a postdoctoral research fellowship in health inequalities at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health in 2013. He earned a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2011 and received his medical degree in primary care from Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2002.
Robin Brooks
Treasurer
Robin Brooks joined Banyan Health System in 2024 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), overseeing Finance, Human Resources, Grants, Data Analysis, Revenue Cycle, and Support Services for its Mental Health, Substance Abuse inpatient and outpatient facilities, and FQHC. She is a valuable asset to Banyan Health System’s Executive Team, bringing over 35 years of experience in finance, including valuation, project financing, financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, cost of capital analysis, long-range planning, public corporate financing, audit and compliance.
Previously, she served as Principal Consultant at Canton and Company and held CFO positions at Path Medical, Chase Brexton Health Care, Sentient Medical System, and Travelex/Ruesch International.
Robin earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Indiana University and an MBA from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Virginia.
Chuck Appleby
Secretary
Chuck Appleby is the President of Appleby & Associates, LLC, a leadership and organizational development consulting firm. With over 35 years of experience in management, consulting, training, and coaching, he has worked across government, industry, and non-profits.
Previously, Chuck served as a company officer at two aerospace firms and was a founding member of the World Institute for Action Learning (WIAL). He also chaired the Board of the DC Public Charter School Student Support Center. Has served as an adjunct faculty member in Georgetown University’s Organizational Consulting and Change Leadership Certificate Program and George Washington University’s Human and Organizational Learning Program.
Chuck holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in History and Economics from Dartmouth College.
Gail C. Arnall
Advisor
Gail stepped down as Executive Director of Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) in July 2015, where she oversaw a staff of twelve, and over one hundred volunteers who continue to provide pre- and post-incarceration services for men and women and manage the Community Service function for Arlington and Falls Church courts. In FY15, OAR served 2,698 clients, 556 of whom were returning citizens from jail and prison. She continues to work with OAR as a consultant in Development and Outreach, while working with others in the DC Metropolitan area involved in helping former offenders when they come home.
Gail has been in the Washington area for 42 years, coming from graduate school at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1974. Prior to coming to the Washington area, she owned and operated her own educational technology consulting firm for 17 years in Ft. Washington, MD. During those 17 years, Gail started and managed eight nationwide distance-learning networks in partnership with various educational entities, serving rural high schools, American Indian tribally-controlled colleges and universities, Hispanic colleges and universities, juvenile correctional facilities in Texas, Florida, and New York, and volunteers and parents involved in Reading Is Fundamental.® She raised over $60 million for her clients, primarily in federal grants. Prior to starting her own company, she served as Director of Planning and Research for National Public Radio; senior planning associate for PBS and manager of the PBS Business Channel; and held multiple positions at the Federal Communications Commission.
Gail holds a BA from Baylor University, and an MS and PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
She is active in church and civic organizations.
Nasser Teymourpour
Advisor
Nasser Teymour is well accomplished in the field of film and photography. He is an award-winning photographer with several of his works presented in well-respected publications. His work has also been part of several group exhibits in Tehran, London, and Vienna. Teymourpour’s work called, “The Silky Sand Dunes,” was exhibited in the British Embassy, Iran, in 2008. Aside from still photography, he has also directed a short documentary called, “Years We Didn’t Count, Years We are Counting…” It was a film about a sculptor named Behrouz Heshmat. Before finding success in film and photography, Nasser Teymour received his Mathematical Diploma in 1999. Shortly afterwards, he expanded his educational credits with a BA in Industrial Design from Azad university, Art and Architecture, and furthering his accomplishments with an MA in Stage and Film Design from The University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria.