Born in Toronto and raised in New York, Niloufar (Nelly) Gordpour has a B.A. in Sociology and Certificate in Human Rights from CUNY Hunter College. She currently works as a researcher for a human rights NGO based in New York. She was formerly a program associate at the American Iranian Council (AIC), a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and improving relations between the United States and Iran, and has completed internships with international organizations, including with Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division, and Open Society Foundations. Alongside her interests in human rights law and diplomacy, Niloufar is passionate about media and photography as a vehicle for social change and enjoys consulting organizations including the Magnum Foundation to champion independent documentary photography and media projects. Niloufar is a 2016 Humanity in Action John Lewis Fellow,