Aziz Dehkan was born and raised in New York City. Having earned a degree in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University in 1976, Aziz built a passive-solar house and started one of the first organic farms in New Jersey.
After 12 years, he went into the environmental business, specializing in the disposal of hazardous waste materials.
As a community activist, Aziz became a member of his local planning board, and then served as a Board member of two nonprofit agencies devoted to helping women recover from domestic abuse and breaking the cycle of poverty.
Switching professional gears, Aziz created a regional major gifts program for the Humane Society of the United States, which led to senior development positions at the NYC Coalition for the Homeless; STRIVE, an East Harlem-based organization, advocating for effective workforce development opportunities; The Fortune Society, where the formerly incarcerated are empowered through services and advocacy; and Mother Jones magazine.
A dyed-in-the-wool pacifist, Aziz has taken up boxing as a challenging workout form, fully recognizing the irony of this choice. An enthusiastic cook, Aziz loves American roots music and theater, and he is grateful to have his fingers back in the soil in Clinton, CT.
See Aziz in action as he advocates for NYC community gardens in this NY Times article
Barbara Stanley Moss has a diverse background in writing, editing, design, and research. Renowned as a gifted wordsmith, she has also garnered a wide reputation (not of her own creation) as “cosmic librarian,” for unearthing critical pieces of information.
Her career began in film production where she conducted auditions and reviewed scripts for the team that had just produced ‘Pumping Iron.’ From there, Barbara entered the sphere of marketing and branding, where she immersed herself in naming programs, annual reports, bios, print collateral, web content, technical guides, and more. Among her affiliations were Lippincott & Margulies, FutureBrand, and Verse Group.
Over time, Barbara gradually redirected her attention to artists, performers, and nonprofits, where she felt her communications could make a more rewarding difference, and where she is delighted to be focused today. She balances these activities with art-making, gardening and all things doggish.