Sima Ladjevardian

Chair of the National Women’s Business Council

Sima Ladjevardian is a lawyer, a mother of two, a small business owner, and a community and political activist. After leaving political upheaval and revolution, Sima’s family arrived in the United States and, through her journey as an immigrant, she saw first-hand the power and promise this country can provide. She has since worked extensively to ensure that hardworking families have all the opportunities to strive and be healthy.  She was one of the first Iranian-American major party nominees for Congress. She ran in TX-2 on providing affordable access to health care for all. She was named as Houston’s Most Influential Women 2020-2021.  

For the last 2 years, she was appointed as Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serving as HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s representative responsible for guiding and coordinating HHS policy initiatives as they related to state, local, and tribal governments in Region 6 covering Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, as well as 68 federally recognized tribal nations.

Ms. Ladjevardian serves as a Trustee of the Harris Health Systems and the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston.  She has served on many boards in the past including the Center for Public Policy and Priorities. 

Ms. Ladjevardian holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from UCLA and a Juris Doctorate degree from Hastings College of Law. She is fluent in French, Farsi and Spanish.