(Updated version of the 2018 candidate profile)
Shireen Ghorbani is the first Iranian American woman to serve on the Salt Lake County Council, representing 1.1 million residents. As a County Council member, one of Ghorbani’s most prominent achievements has been introducing and passing a successful measure to transition Salt Lake County to 100% renewable energy. NIAC Action is proud to have endorsed Ghorbani for her 2018 campaign to run for U.S. House to represent Utah’s 2nd Congressional District.
A proud first-generation Iranian American, University of Utah employee, and full-time mom, Ghorbani ran for U.S. Congress to represent Utah’s 2nd District. As the daughter of an Iranian immigrant, Ghorbani is “particularly distressed by the travel ban,” because “under this ban, families like [her] own are kept apart,” something that is unacceptable to her. Ghorbani has vowed to “support Congressional efforts to defund and rescind the Muslim ban” including the Statue of Liberty Values Act that has been introduced in the House of Representatives. She believes that “this ban is misguided and harmful” with “no evidence that it makes us any safer.”
In response to the Trump administration’s recent actions towards Iran, Ghorbani says she feels considerably less safe with the current president’s “saber-rattling” when there is no discernable plan in place. She also suggests Trump’s actions toward Iran are “distractions for a series of failed policies and scandals plaguing the administration.”
Hailing from outside of Bismarck, North Dakota, Ghorbani earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Communication Studies in 2013 from St. Cloud State University. Ghorbani and her fiance spent two years serving in the United States Peace Corps in the Republic of Moldova, an experience that has helped shape her campaign.
Ghorbani later went on to earn her Master of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her Master of Philosophy in Organizational Communication and Policy from the University of Utah. She previously worked as the Associate Director for Organizational Development and Communications for the University of Utah and as board chair of a local center that serves victims of sexual violence. Ghorbani is a regular contributor to The Salt Lake Tribune and has been vocal in her community about issues such as the climate emergency.
NIAC Action applauds Ghorbani for her outstanding public service and dedication to advance issues that matter most to the Iranian American community.