Elizabeth Peterson Ghaffari

1945 - 2019

December 27, 1945 - March 20, 2019 Elizabeth Iles Peterson Ghaffari, born December, 27, 1945, in Norwood, MA, passed away on March 20, 2019, at Kinglsey Manor in Los Angeles, CA, due to complications from pneumonia. The daughter of the late Clarence Iles Peterson and Greta Wilda Capps Peterson, she was preceded in death by her husband, Fereydoon Ghaffari, and a brother, Alan Peterson. She is survived by a brother, David Peterson of Vancouver, Canada; a sister, Martha Gouin of Myrtle Beach, SC; a sister, Marilyn Guarino of Alachua, FL; a sister, Nancy Crovetti of Lamoni, IA; a stepdaughter, Cynthia Ghaffari of Seattle, WA; a stepson, Hans Ghaffari of Van Nuys, CA; and several nieces and nephews. Elizabeth spent her early years in Sharon, MA, and Plaistow, NH, then graduated from Northfield School for Girls (now Northfield Mount Hermon) in East Northfield, MA. She attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, MA, and graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. with a BS in Political Science, and went on to receive her MS in Management from UCLA's Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles, CA. Her eclectic career began in the 1960s and included creating economic exhibit material for proceedings before the Civil Aeronautics Board and researching policy issues for the Center for Political Research. In the mid-1970s her career became global when she had financial planning and project development responsibilities for a planning firm in Tehran and for Harvard University Center of Management Studies (Tehran). After returning from Iran, Elizabeth's career turned to technology and she served as a technical and projects manager. She then worked for Ghaffari & Associates, where she contributed her experience in the fields of economic and financial analysis, evaluation of large- and small-scale urban development projects, and computer applications. Elizabeth founded two companies: Technology Place™, a consultancy corporation for developing e-business strategies and electronic commu-nications, and Champion Boards™, a service company which helped corporate boards foster, develop and encourage the advancement of women to positions of authority and respect in business, education, public office, at home and globally. Her passion for championing the careers of women was the driving force and inspiration behind her three published books: Outstanding in their Field: How Women Corporate Directors Succeed (2009); Women Leaders at Work: Untold Tales of Women Achieving their Ambitions (2011) and Tapping the Wisdom that Surrounds You: Mentorship and Women (2014). Organizations to which she gave her time and expertise include Women in the Boardroom, where she served on the Executive Council as a panelist and events facilitator (2008). Beginning in 2009, Elizabeth served on the Board of Directors of Small Business Development Corporation providing entrepreneurial training, technical assistance and loans to small businesses in the Greater Los Angeles area. For PortTechLA she served as a business plan Coach/Judge (2011). In 2011 the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) recognized and honored Elizabeth for a 3rd consecutive year as Governance Fellow. She was an honorary member of and devoted contributor, through technical assistance and volunteer work, to the Los Angeles chapter of Lambda Alpha International – a land economics society. Elizabeth was an outdoors sportswoman who enjoyed soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and skiing. In 1990 she and Fereydoon became involved in a running group, the LA Leggers, that was started to help runners train for marathons and to avoid injury. Realizing the need for the group to incorporate to stay alive as an all-volunteer entity, Elizabeth was voted in as first president of the board of directors and was able to spearhead programs for procuring sponsorships. The Leggers are still training and running marathons, nearly 30 years later. She and her husband enjoyed spending time at the Hollywood Bowl, UCLA Bruin sporting events, traveling internationally and dining with their friends and family. Elizabeth might best be remembered by a Booker T. Washington quote that resonated with her: "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles that one has overcome while trying to succeed." Perhaps the greatest obstacle in Elizabeth's life was the total blindness that overtook her at age 70. Undaunted and against all odds, Elizabeth doggedly ferreted out every possible platform of assistive technology, programs and mentors she could to help her maintain her independence and she succeeded – most people did not even know she was blind. At Kingsley Manor, even though she was blind, she held classes to help residents with personal technology and met weekly with other low-vision residents to help them by sharing her discoveries with them. To honor Elizabeth's memory, donations can be made online or by mail to The Braille Institute of America (Los Angeles Division) or to Kingsley Manor. A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date.