Pari Forood is the author of the true-life novel, The Gates of Light, published in May 2015. After graduating from Vassar College, she was the Press Secretary to Congressman Hamilton Fish, Jr. in Washington, D.C. where she was inspired to write this true-life novel about the issue of immigration, both as a policy statement and a personal account, relating her family’s story.
The Gates of Light Synopsis: While working in Washington. D.C. in 1984, Ms. Forood received a phone call from her father. Her seventeen year old Iranian cousin has been drafted during the Iran/Iraq war. He must flee from Iran or face an almost certain death. Joining a cast of international characters that include Pakistani black market passport dealers, members of Francois Mitterrand’s inner political sanctum, influential committee members on Capitol Hill and INS agents here in the United States, Ms. Forood uses her ties in Washington to help extricate her young cousin whom she has not seen in fourteen years.
Ms. Forood has been the Executive Director of the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation since its inception in 2004. In twelve years the Foundation has given away over $2.6 million dollars to support services and outreach for people affected by breast cancer within the 9 counties of the Hudson Valley, NY. Ms. Forood oversees all foundation activities, events and publicity and she has written articles for magazines, newspapers, and hospital publications. She has a BA from Vassar and a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-profit Management.
The Foundation, its founders and Ms. Forood have been honored by Hudson Valley Magazine, Marist College, the Community Foundation of the Hudson Valley, Dutchess County Economic Council, NYS Association of Development Officers, New York State Association of Occupational Therapists, the Greater Hudson Valley Family Health Centers, the Junior League, the Dutchess County Health Department, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and BMW of North America.
