Charitable Foundation Serving Afghanistan

About Us

The Nadiri Family Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization whose mission is to uplift rural communities in Afghanistan.

What We Do

Nadiri Family Foundation establishes long-term partnerships with key international entities to bolster financial and programmatic needs and support the Foundation's expansion.

We bridge agricultural means with the local and global market via the provision of middlemen.

There are many ways the foundation can significantly address Afghanistan's trade deficit, increase liquidity at the grassroots level, address significant unemployment in the workforce, especially women, and lead Afghanistan toward its long-term goal of counter-poverty mandate.

Our History & Beliefs

The Foundation began as a result of a donation from the Dr. Ishaq Nadiri Endowment Fund. Dr. Nadiri was born in 1935 in Afghanistan.

Dr. Nadiri strongly believes that Afghanistan has the capacity to sustain its economic needs via the empowerment of grassroots farmers and the facilitation of their access to modern technological advancements.

Trade and transactions at the local, regional, national, and international levels are connecting people, pooling resources, and addressing the fragmented Afghan society.

The Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the Foundation’s senior leaders who set the strategic direction of Nadiri Family Foundation.

The Executive Team has oversight of all US and Afghanistan-based programs and projects.

Dr. Ishaq Nadiri

Chairman and Founder

Dr. Nadiri founded the Nadiri Family Foundation in 2024 as a charitable corporation. It is backed by Dr. Nadiri’s generous $10 million donation. The Foundation is created out of his lifelong commitment to the people of Afghanistan, with a particular focus on rural Afghanistan. The Foundation’s mission is to support economic development and employment, promote skills-based education, and improve health services to those who live in rural Afghanistan.

A nominee for the Nobel Prize for Economic Science, Dr. Nadiri emigrated from Afghanistan to the United States at the age of 19. He received his B.S. from the University of Nebraska, and his M.A. and Ph.D from the University of California, Berkeley. He has taught at UC Berkeley, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and New York University. His fields of specialization are the economics of technical change and productivity growth, investment theory and modeling, monetary economics, and quantitative analysis and applied economics.

Dr. Nadiri joined New York University in 1970, where, as Chairman of the Economics Department, he rebuilt the department, founding the C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics. In 1975, he was named the Jay Gould Professor of Economics and served in that capacity for 50 years, retiring from New York University in 2024.

Internationally, he has been an economic architect in shaping Saudi Arabia’s economic development, as well as having similar responsibilities in Japan, Latin America, and other countries in the Middle East.

In 2001, Dr. Nadiri was a signatory of the Bonn meetings during which the interim government of Afghanistan was created. He served as the Senior Economic Advisor (SEAP) to the President of Afghanistan from 2005 to 2008. He also served as Chairman of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and Co-Chair of the Joint Coordinational and Monitory Board (JCMB). As SEAP, Dr. Nadiri was responsible for the preparation and publication of many of the most important documents relating to Afghani Economic Development, including the Interim-ANDS, the Progress Report on Preparation of the ANDS, the ANDS, the Afghanistan Compact, Afghanistan’s Millennium Development Goals Report, and Reports to the JCMB.

Dr. Nadiri also helped raise $32 billion in pledges of support from the international community for the development of Afghanistan at the Conferences in London and Paris. For his service, Dr. Nadiri was awarded the Ghazi Amanullah Khan award, the highest civilian award of Afghanistan.

Dr. Nadiri is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the American Economic Association, the Center for Japan-US Business and Economic Studies, and the C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics. He is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the East, Who’s Who in Finance & Industry, Who’s Who in American Education, The Dictionary of Distinguished Leadership, Men of Achievement, 5,000 Personalities of the World, and Personalities of the Americas.

Farshid Hakimyar

Executive Director

Farshid Hakimyar, the Executive Director of the Nadiri Family Foundation, was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, amidst the turmoil of political upheaval and civil war. Despite the challenges, including school closures due to bombings and the loss of family and friends, he completed his education and is grateful for his journey to the United States.

In 2001, Farshid established a private school with a $3,500 loan from his uncle, serving as the sole teacher and administrator for nearly nine years. His school eventually grew to serve around 3,000 students and employed over 50 teachers, many of whom were his former students. He later worked with research and multiple international organizations, contributing to education, women's rights, and democratic development in Afghanistan.

Farshid moved to the United States in 2010 to pursue a master's degree, aspiring to return to Afghanistan.
Inspired by Dr. Nadiri, a mentor and role model, Farshid co-founded the Nadiri Family Foundation to address pressing issues in Afghanistan, including unemployment, inadequate healthcare, and educational access—particularly for women and girls. The foundation operates a health clinic providing free services to 60-90 patients daily and plans to establish more clinics across Afghanistan.

Since its inception, the Nadiri Family Foundation has distributed over 20,000 fruit trees to enhance agricultural productivity and support local farmers. Committed to fostering economic growth and creating job opportunities, Farshid is dedicated to making a meaningful impact in Afghanistan while remaining connected to his roots and culture.

Eric Wynne

Cofounder and Strategic Officer

Mr. Wynne has created, launched and led B2B and B2C companies for over 40 years, with a special focus on media properties across a range of categories, technologies and formats within the corporate environment, in a consulting capacity and as an entrepreneur and founder. He is expert in executive management and team building, strategic planning, market and business development, research and market analysis, brand positioning, consumer engagement and activation, go-to-market strategies, sponsorship, revenue development and business monetization, as well as other disciplines.

He has been a first mover across a range of media modalities.He and his companies have provided leadership, branding & market positioning, sales & marketing management, business development, sponsorship & advertising sales management for a diverse range of leading media and business entities across B2C and B2B environments, in broadcast media, digital out-of-home (DOOH), out-of-home, the internet, mobile, and print, inclusive of Time Inc., Clear Channel, The New York Stock Exchange, Porsche Cars of North America, Target, McDonalds, Hallmark, and others.

Mr. Wynne has been and remains active in the non-profit world. He is the co-founder of the Nadiri Family Foundation. Previously, he founded and led a New York City neighborhood non-profit that, upon achieving its objectives, concluded operation. As well as a multi-term president for the alumni associations of two renowned non-profit educational institutions, LREI and Bank Street, as well as having served, for nearly 20 years, as an LREI board member. Currently, he is Director and business manager as well as a lead musician in Manhattan Samba, the longest performing Rio De Janeiro Carnival Brazilian Samba band in the Northeast. The band has performed at venues including Lincoln Center, The UN, New York Fashion Week, Carnegie Hall, the Boston Pops, the Brazilian Consulate and at festivals. They have been presented on major TV networks, most recently, by ESPN and Top Rank Boxing, where their performance was broadcast globally. They have performed with legendary musicians including Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Cliff and Wyclef Jean.

For the non-profit, Puppies Behind Bars, he is a longtime volunteer dog socializer and trainer. He has worked with over 150 dogs over 13 years. Dogs that graduate the 2.5 year training program are given to severely injured veterans or they serve as explosion detection dogs at major sports facilities, airports, other venues and events. He and his wife, Dale who is a published and awarded poet, live in New York City.

Susan Farooqi Yaqubie

Board Member and Legal Counselor

Susan Farooqi Yaqubie is a first-generation Afghan-American attorney licensed to practice in New York. Her personal journey and professional path are deeply shaped by her heritage, her commitment to justice, and her desire to create lasting, meaningful change. With a strong sense of responsibility to both her local and global communities, Susan actively offers pro bono legal services to underrepresented minorities across New York City, ensuring that vulnerable individuals have access to the legal advocacy they deserve.

She founded her own private practice, where she focuses on a broad range of legal matters, including immigration, real estate, personal injury, and business law. Her work is grounded in a thoughtful and principled approach, with a strong emphasis on accessibility, integrity, and impact.

In addition to her legal practice, Susan serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at St. John's University School of Law, where she teaches Immigration Law.

Fluent in Dari, Susan maintains a strong connection to her Afghan roots and remains committed to giving back through both her legal work and her public advocacy. Alongside her private practice, she is actively engaged in nonprofit initiatives and advocacy efforts centered on social justice, immigrant rights, and gender equality. She has contributed to global forums such as the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, where she continues to advocate for the rights and dignity of women around the world.

Susan is also a published legal writer, with contributions appearing in JURIST Legal News and the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development (JCRED). Her writing explores the intersection of law, policy, and human rights, with a particular focus on Afghan women’s rights.

She earned her B.B.A. from the Zicklin School of Business and her Juris Doctorate from St. John's University School of Law, where she served as Executive Editor for the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development.

Susan lives in New York with her husband and young children and is committed to balancing her legal work with a life of advocacy, family, and service.