Mandana Dayani
{{Short description|Iranian-American businesswoman (born 1982)}}
{{COI|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mandana Dayani
| image = MandanaDayani.jpg
| birth_name = Mandana Rivka Dayani
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1982}}
| birth_place =
| occupation = Businesswoman
| spouse = Peter Traugott
| children =
| education = University of Southern California (BA, JD)
| party =
}}
Mandana Rivka Dayani (born 1982) is an Iranian-American attorney, businesswoman, brand expert, and media executive. In 2018, she created I Am a Voter, a nonpartisan organization aimed at educating and mobilizing voters, in partnership with CAA. From 2021 to 2022, she served as the president of Archewell, the media and philanthropic company founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Since the Gaza war started in October 2023, Dayani has made frequent media appearances to speak on antisemitism and started The Calanet Foundation to support Jewish communities and students, with projects including Our Campus United and One Mitzvah a Day. In 2025, President Joe Biden appointed her to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council board of trustees.{{Cite web |title=United States Holocaust Memorial Council (Board of Trustees) - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum |url=https://www.ushmm.org/information/about-the-museum/council |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=www.ushmm.org |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Halperin |first=Shirley |date=2025-01-19 |title=ATTN:’s Matthew Segal, Archewell Alum Mandana Dayani Appointed to Holocaust Memorial Council Board of Trustees |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/holocaust-memorial-council-appointments-matthew-segal-mandana-dayani-1236112749/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}
She is a regular contributor on Morning Joe on MSNBC and an investor.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-19 |title=Israel InSight Magazine, March 2024 by israelinsightmagazine |url=https://issuu.com/israelinsight/docs/iisdebut0324 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=Issuu |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-08-22 |title=Mandana Dayani on why being comfortable with silence is a superpower |url=https://www.msnbc.com/know-your-value/career-growth/mandana-dayani-why-being-comfortable-silence-superpower-n1307051 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=MSNBC.com |language=en}}
Early life and education
Dayani was born into a Persian Jewish family who had attempted to leave Iran since the 1979 Iranian revolution. They obtained a travel visa to go to Italy in 1987, and were granted asylum as religious refugees in the United States with the help of Jewish American nonprofit HIAS.{{Cite web |last=Dale |first=Shakira |date=February 21, 2021 |title=Debra Messing and Mandana Dayani: Supporting Refugees is a Core Jewish Value |url=https://hias.org/news/debra-messing-and-mandana-dayani-supporting-refugees-is-a-core-jewish-value/ |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=HIAS |language=en-US}}
Dayani attended the University of Southern California, where she received her bachelor's degree and went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the USC Gould School of Law.{{cite news |last=Woletz |first=Robert |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/fashion/weddings/27DAYANI.html |title=Mandana Dayani, Peter Traugott |work=The New York Times |date=June 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630101630/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/fashion/weddings/27DAYANI.html |archive-date=June 30, 2010 |url-status=live}}
Career
= Early career =
Dayani began her career as a corporate attorney at Paul Hastings.{{Cite web |title=Mandana Dayani {{!}} WrapWomen |url=https://wrapwomen.thewrap.com/team/mandana-dayani/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Women's Forum Global Meeting 2023 |url=https://www.womens-forum.com/e/women-s-forum-global-meeting-2023/speaker/ca489157-dd5c-ee11-9937-000d3a4cc0c5/mandana-dayani |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Women's Forum Community |language=en}} She then became a talent agent representing celebrities and fashion designers, including fashion stylist Rachel Zoe. This led her to later become head of the company, Rachel Zoe, Inc., which included The Rachel Zoe Collection, The Zoe Report, Rachel Zoe Ventures, The Curateur, and a producer and regular on her show, The Rachel Zoe Project (2008–2013).{{cite news |last1=Fung |first1=Gloria |title=Meet Mandana Dayani, who headed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3264213/meet-mandana-dayani-ex-boss-prince-harry-and-meghan-markles-archewell-iranian-american-entrepreneur |access-date=October 26, 2024 |work=South China Morning Post |date=May 27, 2024}}
Dayani was chief brand officer of an online marketplace for estate sales named Everything But The House and the executive producer of its show on HGTV.{{cite news |last1=Whitney |first1=Christine |date=July 20, 2017 |title=How to Organize Your Closet—When You Really Love Fashion |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-organize-your-closetwhen-you-really-love-fashion-1500563344 |access-date=October 26, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}
= Business ventures =
== I Am a Voter ==
During New York Fashion Week in late 2018, Dayani co-founded I Am a Voter, a nonpartisan organization aimed at educating and mobilizing voters, which has been promoted by celebrities and athletes.{{Cite web |title=CFDA |url=https://cfda.com/news/words-with-fashion-friends-mandana-dayani |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=cfda.com}}{{Cite web |last=Breen |first=Amanda |date=2024-10-15 |title=I Am a Voter: A Business Secret Helps Increase Voter Turnout |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/i-am-a-voter-a-business-secret-helps-increase-voter-turnout/481180 |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Entrepreneur |language=en}} The organization was co-founded by more than 30 women and the Creative Artists Agency. A social media campaign headed by the organization involved having actors meet with their former costars, including actors from Will & Grace, Friends, and Iron Man and The Avengers.{{cite web |last=Scharf |first=Lindzi |date=October 10, 2020 |title=She wants to make voting as epic as the next Marvel movie |url=https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-10-10/election-2020-i-am-a-voter-cofounder-mandana-dayani |access-date=June 28, 2021 |website=Los Angeles Times}}
Ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, the organization announced a merger with the voter registration organization HeadCount to consolidate resources.{{cite news |last1=Donnelly |first1=Matt |date=May 2, 2024 |title=Celebrity-Backed Nonprofits I Am a Voter, HeadCount Merge Ahead of 2024 Election |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/headcount-i-am-a-voter-merger-stars-vote-1235990779/ |access-date=October 26, 2024 |work=Variety}}
== Archewell ==
From May 2021 to December 2022, she was the president of Archewell, the media and philanthropic company founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.{{cite web|last=Hinchlifee|first=Emma|date=September 1, 2021|title=Meghan and Harry's Archewell hires Mandana Dayani as first COO|url=https://fortune.com/2021/09/03/meghan-markle-harry-archewell-hire-coo-mandana-dayani/|website=Fortune}}{{cite news |last1=Tartaglione |first1=Nancy |title=Prince Harry & Meghan Markle To Take "Full Lead" Of Archewell As Mandana Dayani Exits |url=https://deadline.com/2022/12/prince-harry-meghan-markle-archewell-control-mandana-dayani-1235189164/ |access-date=October 26, 2024 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=December 5, 2022}} During this time, she played a significant role in the couple's business dealings with Spotify and Netflix. She stepped down from the position in December 2022, shortly before the release of Archewell's Netflix documentary.{{Cite news |date=2022-12-04 |title=Archewell boss Mandana Dayani resigns days before Harry and Meghan's new Netflix documentary release, read here |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/uk/archewell-boss-mandana-dayani-resigns-days-before-harry-and-meghans-new-netflix-documentary-release-read-here/articleshow/95984741.cms |access-date=2025-03-09 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}
== The Calanet Foundation ==
Dayani founded The Calanet Foundation to support initiatives aimed at combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish community engagement. Through the foundation, she launched One Mitzvah A Day, a bipartisan initiative encouraging Jewish Americans and allies to engage in daily acts of gratitude and advocacy, and Our CampUs United, an online platform co-founded with Yasmeen Ohebsion to provide Jewish college students with resources to address antisemitism on campuses.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-24 |title=Our CampUs United Is A New Gen Z-Led Platform Working To Combat Antisemitism |url=https://www.hercampus.com/culture/our-campus-united-gen-z-platform-against-antisemitism/ |access-date=2025-04-04 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=New project urges US Jews and allies to spur change via one ‘good deed’ text per day |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-project-urges-us-jews-and-allies-to-spur-change-via-one-good-deed-text-per-day/ |access-date=April 4, 2025 |website=The Times of Israel}}{{Cite web |last=Siegler |first=Mara |date=2025-02-28 |title=Former Archewell honcho and Jewish students launch website aimed at fighting campus antisemitism |url=https://pagesix.com/2025/02/28/society/former-archewell-honcho-and-jewish-students-launch-web-site-aimed-at-fighting-campus-antisemitism/ |access-date=2025-04-04 |language=en-US}}
Activism
Dayani's experience as a religious refugee from Iran is one of her stated inspirations behind her activism.
In 2020, Dayani, together with her friend Debra Messing, launched The Dissenters podcast with Dear Media. The podcast features interviews with advocates for social issues, including Glennon Doyle, Adam Schiff, Jane Fonda, Hillary Clinton, Eva Longoria, and Sophia Bush.{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Peter |title=Debra Messing & Mandana Dayani Launch Podcast Series 'The Dissenters' |url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/debra-messing-mandana-dayani-podcast-the-dissenters-1202932902/ |access-date=October 26, 2024 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=May 13, 2020}} Dayani and Messing were dubbed "Jewish Champions" on the cover of the Jewish Journal in June 2023; the publication praised them for their "Unabashed Jewish Pride and Fearless Activism".{{Cite web |last=Refael |first=Tabby |date=June 1, 2023 |title=Debra Messing and Mandana Dayani: Jewish Champions |url=https://jewishjournal.com/cover_story/359281/debra-messing-and-mandana-dayani-jewish-champions/ |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=Jewish Journal}}
In the lead-up to the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, Dayani emphasized the importance of voter participation, highlighting the high stakes of the elections and the increasing challenges to voting access due to restrictive laws across the country.{{Cite web |last=Shacknai |first=Gabby |title=I Am A Voter’s Mandana Dayani On The Importance Of Voting In The Midterm Elections |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/gabbyshacknai/2022/11/07/i-am-a-voters-mandana-dayani-on-the-importance-of-voting-in-the-midterm-elections/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Forbes |language=en}}
Since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023, Dayani has made media appearances to speak on antisemitism.{{cite news |last1=Horn |first1=Jordana |title=Jewish activist who fled Iran sees shades of the fall of the shah on US campuses |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-influencer-who-fled-iran-sees-shades-of-the-fall-of-the-shah-on-us-campuses/ |access-date=October 26, 2024 |work=The Times of Israel |date=May 22, 2024 |quote=Since the Hamas onslaught on Israel on October 7, however, Dayani has turned the focus of her activism and online engagement to the recent antisemitism surge in the United States.}} She has regularly appeared on MSNBC to comment on the impact of antisemitism on Jews in the diaspora.{{Cite web |title='Everyday it gets harder; it feels like nobody cares': Mandana Dayani meets with families of hostages held by Hamas |url=https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/-everyday-it-gets-harder-it-feels-like-nobody-cares-mandana-dayani-meets-with-families-of-hostages-held-by-hamas-203038277757 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |publisher=MSNBC}}{{Cite web |title='We are actually terrified': 'I Am a Voter' co-founder shares fears over growing antisemitism |url=https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/-we-are-actually-terrified-i-am-a-voter-co-founder-shares-fears-over-growing-antisemitism-196447301836 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |publisher=MSNBC}}{{Cite web |title='Heartbreaking' to watch people not show up for women assaulted by Hamas, says activist |url=https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/-heartbreaking-to-watch-people-not-show-up-for-women-assaulted-by-hamas-199419461555 |access-date=April 19, 2024 |publisher=MSNBC}} Dayani's video about the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel was viewed approximately 50 million times.{{Cite web |title=Mandana Dayani - Business Leader, Human Rights Activist and Co-Founder of I Am A Voter |url=https://www.adl.org/mandana-dayani |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=www.adl.org}} She was named as one of the "Top 100 Influential Jews" for the Hebrew year of 5782 (from 2021 to 2022) by the Tel Aviv Institute.{{Cite web |title=Jewish100 5782 |url=https://www.tlvi.org/jewish100-5782/ |access-date=November 4, 2023 |publisher=Tel Aviv Institute}} She spoke on the attack as part of Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations, later that year.{{cite web|last=Luscombre|first=Belinda|date=December 2, 2023|title=Sheryl Sandberg Calls for More Outrage Over Attacks on Women on Oct. 7|url=https://time.com/6342428/israel-hamas-sheryl-sandberg-oct-7/|website=Time}} Amidst nationwide pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses in 2024, she spoke at a rally in Cornell University that was organized to combat antisemitism on campus and throughout the U.S.{{Cite web |date=April 15, 2024 |title=Jewish Community Members Rally for Israel as Pro-Palestine Students March for Divestment |url=https://cornellsun.com/2024/04/15/jewish-community-members-rally-for-israel-as-pro-palestine-students-march-for-divestment/ |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=Cornell Sun}}
In March 2024, she appeared on Morning Joe to discuss global responses to sexual violence by Hamas, criticizing the lack of public support for victims.{{Cite web |title='Heartbreaking' to watch people not show up for women assaulted by Hamas, says activist |url=https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/-heartbreaking-to-watch-people-not-show-up-for-women-assaulted-by-hamas-199419461555 |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=MSNBC.com |language=en}} In April 2024, Mandana Dayani spoke at a "Jewish Unity Rally" at Cornell University, an event organized to address antisemitism and support Israel amid calls for divestment from pro-Palestine activists.{{Cite web |date= |title=Jewish Community Members Rally for Israel as Pro-Palestine Students March for Divestment - The Cornell Daily Sun |url=https://cornellsun.com/2024/04/15/jewish-community-members-rally-for-israel-as-pro-palestine-students-march-for-divestment/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=cornellsun.com |language=en-US}} Dayani interviewed hostages, including Moran Stella Yanai.{{Cite web |title=Former Hamas hostage recounts horrors of captivity |url=https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/former-hamas-hostage-recounts-horrors-of-captivity-207502917809 |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=MSNBC.com |language=en}}
In 2025, Dayani was appointed by President Biden to serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council Board of Trustees.{{cite web|last=Bryant|first=Jacob|date=January 17, 2025|title=Human Rights Activist Mandana Dayani Appointed to Holocaust Memorial Council Board of Trustees|url=https://www.thewrap.com/mandana-dayani-holocaust-memorial-council-appointment-biden/|access-date=January 20, 2025|website=The Wrap}}
Personal life
Dayani married Peter Traugott, a media executive and producer, in 2010. The couple has two daughters and resides in Los Angeles, California. She signed to the Creative Artists Agency in 2023.{{cite news |last1=Vlessing |first1=Etan |title='I Am a Voter' Co-Founder Mandana Dayani Signs With CAA (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/mandana-dayani-caa-1235758729/ |access-date=October 26, 2024 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=December 15, 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.iamavoter.com Official website]
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Category:USC Gould School of Law alumni
Category:Lawyers from Los Angeles
Category:American women lawyers
Category:Iranian emigrants to the United States
Category:21st-century American women