Mandana Dayani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mandana Dayani
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Mandana Rivka Dayani
1982 (age 42–43) |
| Education | University of Southern California (BA, JD) |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Spouse(s) | Peter Traugott |
Mandana Rivka Dayani (born in 1982) is an Iranian-American businesswoman and media expert. She is also a lawyer. In 2018, she started I Am a Voter. This group helps people learn about voting and encourages them to vote. It works with a company called CAA.
From 2021 to 2022, Mandana Dayani was the president of Archewell. This is a media and charity company started by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Since October 2023, she has often spoken out against antisemitism. This means she speaks against hatred towards Jewish people. She also started The Calanet Foundation to help Jewish communities and students. In 2025, President Joe Biden chose her to join the board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. She also appears regularly on the TV show Morning Joe on MSNBC.
Contents
Early Life and School
Mandana Dayani was born into a Persian Jewish family. Her family tried to leave Iran after the 1979 Iranian revolution. In 1987, they got a special paper to travel to Italy. Then, a Jewish American group called HIAS helped them get a safe place to live in the United States. They were given asylum as religious refugees.
Mandana Dayani went to the University of Southern California. There, she earned her first degree. Later, she went to the USC Gould School of Law and became a lawyer.
Career Journey
Starting Her Career
Mandana Dayani began her career as a lawyer at a big company. After that, she became an agent for famous people and fashion designers. One of the people she worked with was fashion stylist Rachel Zoe. This led her to become the head of Rachel Zoe, Inc. This company included different fashion and media projects. She also helped produce and appeared on the TV show The Rachel Zoe Project from 2008 to 2013.
Dayani was also a chief brand officer for an online store called Everything But The House. This store sold items from estate sales. She was also an executive producer for its TV show on HGTV.
Business Projects
I Am a Voter
In late 2018, Mandana Dayani helped start I Am a Voter. This group encourages people to vote and teaches them about it. Many famous people and athletes have supported it. Over 30 women and the Creative Artists Agency helped create this group. They also ran a social media campaign. Actors from shows like Will & Grace, Friends, and movies like Iron Man and The Avengers met up to promote voting.
Before the 2024 US presidential election, I Am a Voter joined with another group called HeadCount. They did this to work together and use their resources better.
Archewell Company
From May 2021 to December 2022, Mandana Dayani was the president of Archewell. This is the media and charity company started by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. During her time there, she helped with their business deals with Spotify and Netflix. She left her role in December 2022.
The Calanet Foundation
Mandana Dayani started The Calanet Foundation. This foundation helps fight antisemitism and supports Jewish communities. Through this foundation, she launched "One Mitzvah A Day." This project encourages Jewish Americans and their friends to do daily acts of kindness and speak up for what is right. She also co-founded "Our CampUs United" with Yasmeen Ohebsion. This is an online place that gives Jewish college students help to deal with antisemitism on their campuses.
Activism and Advocacy
Mandana Dayani has said that her own experience as a religious refugee from Iran inspires her activism.
In 2020, Dayani and her friend Debra Messing started a podcast called The Dissenters. The podcast features talks with people who work to solve social problems. Some guests included Glennon Doyle, Adam Schiff, Jane Fonda, Hillary Clinton, and Eva Longoria. In June 2023, the Jewish Journal called Dayani and Messing "Jewish Champions." They were praised for their strong Jewish pride and brave activism.
Before the 2022 U.S. elections, Dayani stressed how important it was for people to vote. She pointed out that these elections were very important. She also noted that it was becoming harder for some people to vote because of new laws.
Since October 2023, Mandana Dayani has often appeared in the media to talk about antisemitism. She has been on MSNBC many times to discuss how antisemitism affects Jewish people living outside of Israel. A video she made about the events of October 7, 2023, was watched about 50 million times. The Tel Aviv Institute named her one of the "Top 100 Influential Jews" for the Hebrew year 5782 (2021-2022). She spoke about the attack at an event for the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations later that year. In 2024, during student protests on college campuses, she spoke at a rally at Cornell University. This rally was organized to fight antisemitism on campus and across the U.S.
In March 2024, she appeared on Morning Joe to talk about how the world has responded to violence by Hamas. She spoke about the lack of public support for victims. In April 2024, Mandana Dayani spoke at a "Jewish Unity Rally" at Cornell University. This event was held to address antisemitism and support Israel. Dayani also interviewed people who had been held hostage, including Moran Stella Yanai.
In 2025, President Biden chose Dayani to be on the board of trustees for the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.
Personal Life
Mandana Dayani married Peter Traugott in 2010. He is also a media executive and producer. They have two daughters and live in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, she signed with the Creative Artists Agency.
