Taneen Jafarkhani ’08, JD ’11 (Berkeley Law)
Taneen has been serving as an employment attorney and HR executive for over 11 years. This includes significant non-profit experience, most recently as the Head of Employee Relations at AnitaB.org (501c3), the largest global advocacy organization for women and non-binary technologists. She also has a private employment law practice (jafarkhanilaw.com) where she provides people/legal strategy and counsel to employees and employers alike. Taneen is a first generation Iranian-American and the eldest child of an immigrant family. Previously she served as Chief of Staff and VP of People at Philosophie — a venture studio based in LA and NYC. Prior to Philosophie, she led People Operations at a VR/AR studio. She has also served as General Counsel and Head of HR for a national education advocacy start-up, where she built the HR function and authored/lobbied for language then codified in federal education law. She has had speaking engagements at UCLA, Stanford, and at Design/HR panels in Los Angeles. She has been proud to partner with UCLA’s Diversity Program to produce diversity-centered art shows (you can learn a bit more at saladhead.la).
While at UCLA, she was a campus tour guide, Dance Marathon leader, and Chief of Staff to the USAC President. She went straight to Berkeley Law where she did a great deal of clinical work and served as President of the Middle Eastern Law Student Association.