Chronicle of Philanthropy Announces $5-Million Gift to Create Iranian Diaspora Center

CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY -- Neda Nobari, a former director and vice chairman of Bebe Stores, gave $5 million to establish and endow the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University. Ms. Nobari emigrated from Iran to the United States in 1978 when she was 15. She graduated from the University in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in computer science and today serves on the board of directors of the San Francisco State University Foundation. In 2015 she earned a Master’s degree in liberal studies from Dartmouth College and, while there, focused her research on the intersection of the diaspora and cultural identity of Iranian-American women.