Neda Sharghi

Neda Sharghi is the former Chair of The Bring Our Families Home Campaign, an advocacy campaign led by family members of Americans currently held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. Under her leadership, the Campaign launched several successful advocacy efforts, including a partnership with Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury, the installation of several wheat-paste murals nationwide to highlight current hostages and wrongful detainees, and other targeted social media and guerrilla marketing campaigns, all to urge our political leaders in Congress and the White House to prioritize the immediate release of our American hostages and wrongful detainees. Neda is also the sister of Emad Shargi, an American citizen wrongfully detained in Iran from 2018 to 2023. Inspired by her brother and other hostages and wrongful detainees and their families, Neda is committed to making sure no American affected by hostage diplomacy is forgotten or left behind. Neda is currently on the Board of Directors of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation which aims to protect journalists and advocate for American hostages and wrongful detainees. Neda received her BA from Amherst College, MPH from Yale University, and DSc from Harvard University. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and 3 children.