PROSPERITY INTERNATIONAL
A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
Board of Directors
Sayed A. Azimi
Board President
Angela O'Byrne
Board Vice President
Nancy Margolis
Board Treasurer
Joseph Vaccaro
Board Secretary
Sayed ‘Aziz’ Azimi is President and Chief Executive Officer of Technologists, Inc. (Ti), international engineering and management consulting company.
Mr. Azimi has extensive experience in working with a variety of clients around the World and has closely worked with several US agencies. In 2004, he launched Ti’s Afghanistan operations by building three industrial parks supported by the USAID that continue to serve as successful commercial ventures and business incubators.
Mr. Azimi was instrumental in introducing modern tools, technology, and know-how to several countries and establishing comprehensive worker health and safety procedures. He offered its staff an extensive range of capacity-building and skills-development courses in engineering, construction, management, and other disciplines. Mr. Azimi is also strongly committed to women’s empowerment and writes and lectures frequently on topics related to economic development, job creation, education, foreign investment, and institutional reform.
President of an 80+ year old international design-build-develop firm Perez, APC headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a successful branch in New York City that has just celebrated its 15 year anniversary. Angela O’Byrne energetically champions the principles of smart growth in communities worldwide. The firm strives to design, build, and develop resilient communities where people thrive. Born in Cali, Colombia, Angela earned a Master of Architecture from Tulane University and Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. She has since become a licensed architect in twenty states, a licensed general contractor in three states, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and a LEED Accredited Professional. Her 40 years of experience in design and management of diverse project types includes multi-unit housing, hospitality, recreation, master planning, historic renovations, education, government buildings, LEED certified projects, military construction, and more.
Angela is also a passionate advocate for women in architecture, construction, and development, and is involved in numerous professional and nonprofit organizations dedicated to their advancement in the industry. For her design and construction work, and community service, she was selected as one of the NYC Women’s Builders Council (WBC) Outstanding Women of 2015 and 2016, and was named the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 2016 Small Business Person of the Year Runner Up; and the 2017 SBA’s Louisiana Small Business Person of the Year.
Nancy Margolis has been a leader in the energy technology sector for decades. She joined Energetics, Incorporated (a wholly owned subsidiary of VSE Corporation) as an engineer in 1984 and served as the company’s President from 2010 until her retirement in 2017. At Energetics, Ms. Margolis managed top-flight teams tackling some of today’s biggest energy technology challenges for clients at the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Laboratories, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and state and local energy offices. As President of Energetics, Ms. Margolis was a member of the VSE Executive Team (NASDAQ: VSEC).
Prior to joining Energetics, Ms. Margolis worked at ARINC Corporation, focusing on power plant reliability. She also worked as a chemist for Bethlehem Steel Corporation in the late 1970s. She holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park, where she currently serves on the Visiting Committee of the Mechanical Engineering Department. In 2017, she was awarded the Glenn L. Martin Medal from the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland.
Joseph Vaccaro is retired from both the United States Marine Corps Reserves as a Colonel (0-6) and the Department of Justice as a Special Agent. He served 31 years on active and reserve duty with the Marine Corps and 24 years in federal law enforcement. He has experience in operations, training, intelligence, budgets, contracts, communications, logistical issues and served as a formal school director. His law enforcement experiences include complex historical investigations, financial investigations and criminal issues including homicide, arson and theft. He has extensive experience in protective service details and was the lead instructor for state and local police academies.
His post retirement positions include an operations officer for a joint overseas command, a Town Manager and a Deputy Vice President for a major overseas construction company. He also was also employed with the Department of Homeland Security as a curriculum developer and instructor. He has a Master’s Degree in Education and his employment travels include the Far East, Africa, Europe, South America, the Middle East.
Dr. Quadir Amiryar
Board Member
Dr. Quadir Amiryar is an accomplished professor, and a legal and policy expert with an exceptional track record of success. An experienced, results-oriented professional, Dr. Amiryar has over 30 years of experience in strategic planning, education reform, capacity-building, higher education, curriculum development, implementing credit systems, program development, process evaluation, and teacher assessment.
Dr. Amiryar has decades of teaching experience in the United States as well as Afghanistan, where he conducted research focused on rebuilding Afghanistan’s judicial and higher education systems. He is a recognized expert on Afghanistan’s post-war transition to peace and democracy; and is dedicated to helping develop a modern and mature education infrastructure to help students reach their full potential.