Cheryl Najafi

Cheryl Najafi is an New York Times best-selling author, speaker, activist, and entrepreneur. In 2010 she founded EverydayDishes.com and grew an online audience of over 5M unique visitors and 1M Facebook fans. After a decade in media, she founded The Cause Collection, a socially responsible clothing company to support nonprofits that fight for equality, humanitarianism, and social justice.

Najafi is currently using her experience to write and produce a children’s television show, Kara Aware, that follows a feisty, multicultural young girl as she asks questions and solves real-world problems around similar progressive issues such as environmental challenges, social responsibility, equality and social justice.

Najafi currently serves on The New American Council for Arts and Design at Arizona State University and was appointed by President Biden to serve on the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts for the Kennedy Center. She has tenure on Charter 100, ASU Art Museum Creative Impact Board, and the University of Chicago and NYU’s Parents Councils among others. Najafi holds a B.A. (‘92) and an M.A. (‘96) in Communication from Arizona State University.

She supports candidates and organizations that help move progressive issues and policies forward. She has been the recipient of several awards including Arizona’s Most Intriguing Women for its Centennial Celebration as the 48th state, and ASU’s 2019 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Leader among others. Najafi splits her time among Phoenix, Los Angeles, and New York City. She enjoys long walks with audiobooks and spending time with her three college-aged children and husband, Jahm.