History of SPPC
(By Siavash Esmaeil-Beik, May 2001)

Spearheaded by Dr. Homayoon Shidnia, the Society for Promotion of Persian Culture (SPPC) was founded in mid 1989 by a group of dedicated Iranians in Indiana. The original Steering Committee Members included the following:

Dr. Homayoon Shidnia
Dr. Cyrus Behroozi
Dr. Hormoz Broumand
Dr. Ebrahim Fakouri
Mr. Mohammad Kaviani
Mr. Siavash Esmaeil-Beik

As stated in the Society's Constitution and Bylaws, the purpose of the Society, a not-for-profit, non-political, and non-religious organization, is promotion and interpretation of Persian culture in order to:

1. strengthen the cultural identity of Iranian residents in the United States;
2. facilitate a better understanding of that culture by Iranian and non-Iranian residents; and
3. strengthen the basis for friendship between them.

Since its inception, the Society has been blessed by a score of volunteers who have led and/or contributed to the success and accomplishment of the Society. While these Board Members and committee volunteers are too numerous to list, the following is a list of SPPC Board presidents since its inception.

Prior to Year 2001, the Board of Directors for each term was comprised of 10 members. However, starting with the 2001-2003 Term, the number of members on the Board was reduced to a minimum of 5 up to a maximum of 10.

The SPPC's logo was designed by Mr. Aryan Heydari in 1991 along with an alternate design, both in black and white. The color scheme was added to the logo by Dr. Kamran Hamidi, a past SPPC Board Member, in 1999.