Home: Santa Fe Springs, CA. Age: 65. Profession: Electrical engineer. Organization: Parkia Inc. Title: CEO. Alma mater: University of Southern California. Languages spoken: English and Farsi.
Current project: Multiple Utilities High Voltage Power projects. Recent recognition: Awards for safety and quality performance on enhancing the power grid in Southern California. Latest contribution to others: Contributions to less privileged children and students; mentoring engineering students. What’s been your big (or biggest leap)? Creating business opportunities for minorities and small business enterprises.
Personality profile: Generous, compassionate, grounded, service-oriented. Moral compass: Balance strength and compassion. How do you define a perfect friendship? Rooted in trust, loyalty, mutual respect, and unconditional support. How do you define an ideal business relationship? Mutual trust, transparency, and shared benefit, both parties operate with integrity. How do you relieve stress? Taking a short walk outside, sitting somewhere away from phones, noise and email.
What was your first paying job? Teaching Assistant at University of Southern California. What was your favorite college course? Power courses in the Transmission line studies. What was your favorite childhood toy or game? A power aeroplane. What movie have you repeatedly watched? The Return of the Dragon. What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? Picture of vintage war planes. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? My martial arts teacher.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field?
Elevate the standards of safety, professionalism, and workforce development within the utility engineering and construction industry.
What change would you like to see in the world? People leading with empathy, responsibility, and a genuine desire to help one another. What widely held belief do you reject? The belief that success is purely individual.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? The Power of Integrity. What actor would you choose to play you in the movie about your life? Denzel Washington. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A pilot. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? Surrounded by the people I love, talking, laughing and thanking them for every moment we’ve shared.
Favorite quote: “The measure of a life is not what we build, but who we lift along the way” (attr. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).
