Sharon S. Nazarian

Dr. Sharon S. Nazarian is the President of the Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation, with a regional office in Israel named the Ima Foundation. The focus on education and public policy is core to Sharon's philanthropic perspective. She is the founder of the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). The Center is housed in the International Institute at UCLA in order to provide a systematic and academic study of Israel.

In 2017, ADL appointed Sharon as its new Senior Vice President in International Affairs. Sharon served in this role for five years, meeting with heads of state, foreign ministers and leaders of Jewish communities across the globe and heads ADL’s work fighting antisemitism and racial hatred globally. She also oversaw ADL’s Israel office.

Sharon's interests are reflected in the myriad of organizations she devotes her time, talent and energies to – she is the vice chair of the West Coast Board of the American Society of the University of Haifa, sits on the Board of Governors of Haifa University, has recently joined Berkeley Institute’s inaugural Advisory Board, and is a member of the Chairman's Circle of the National Democratic Institute. She also sits on the board of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University and is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR).

Her undergraduate studies took place at the University of Southern California (USC), double majoring in Journalism and International Relations. She went on to receive her master’s and Doctor of Philosophy degrees also from USC in the field of Political Science, specializing in Political Economy and Economic Development in newly industrialized countries.