Founder & President

Azita is a film, stage and television actress and producer who has worked in the industry for 15 years, most recently making her Broadway Debut in The Kite Runner (2022). In 2016 she launched MAAC, and shortly after successfully lobbied for the first new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hiring category into the entertainment business in 37 years. MAAC has gone on to blaze a new path for MENASA & SWANA creatives. She believes the key to change is the disruption from within systems and can identify the gaps for her community as a lived experience. Azita also served at SAG-AFTRA National MENA Chair, and as a global ambassador to Women for Women Intl.

Executive Assistant

Nicole is a writer and linguist whose creative and academic work has taken her all over. Be it film or language, she is interested in how culture, personhood, and the marginalized are represented. With years of administrative and organizational support to several MENASA and SWANA focused institutions including the Arab Film & Media Institute and The Indian Film Festival. Nicole’s background is rich in coordinating with and assisting Founders of nonprofit organizations, Department Managers, and Talent Producers, all of which has allowed her to be a crucial part of teams that cultivate artistic spaces, amplify voices to nurture a supportive community, and dedicate to providing tools for interpersonal group growth.