Meet Our New Executive Director

PRESS RELEASE:

SAN DIEGO, CA – Following a national search, the Autism Society of San Diego has named local veteran public affairs, autism advocate and nonprofit leader, Shahriar Afshar its new executive director. Afshar will lead a local staff of five employees focused on connecting people to the Autism-related resources through education, advocacy, support, information referral, and community programming. He begins in his new role on August 19.

As a ‘Dadvocate’ parent of a teenage son with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Shahriar is uniquely positioned to understand the needs of the autism community. Prior to being named to this position, Afshar served 25 years with the City of San Diego and Port of San Diego in various leadership roles and five years with Verizon as one of the lead public agency reps in Southern California. He later launched The Afshar Group, a private equity and startup accelerator focused on building value, innovation and inclusion in AutismTec, eMobility Hubs and Political Media. Shahriar continues to be involved in several business and nonprofit advisory boards.  

“Shahriar brings a deep sense of compassion, innovation, and servant leadership to our cause that’s hard to match. He is the transformational leader we need to take us to the next level so we may better serve the families of greater San Diego impacted by ASD,” said Joe Ireland, Autism Society of San Diego board president.

In his prior work, Afshar worked with the Autism Society of America & Verizon to accelerate the adoption of wearable devices as a life & safety tool for ASD children. Shahriar continues to work with parent-entrepreneurs to bring transformative products and services to the marketplace while promoting autism startup innovation on his podcast at AutismSpa.com (Supporting Parents of Autism).

“Over the next six months, I look forward to engaging other nonprofit leaders, public agencies, and corporate partners to enhance the programs and services of the Autism Society and promote autism-friendly businesses & public facilities at every opportunity,” said Afshar. “The autism community is an internal part of our greater San Diego region, and we are dedicated to advancing awareness, acceptance, and the success of every person with ASD across our region.

According to a 2020 Centers for Disease Control study, 1 in 36 children in the U.S. have ASD, and in California, it’s 1 in 22 children that are on the spectrum. This means nearly every classroom in San Diego has a child with ASD. It is estimated that over five million adults in the U.S. have ASD with an expected cost of $461 billion by 2025 to care for them.

The Autism Society San Diego County is a non-profit organization that originated in 1966 as the National Society of Autistic Children. It served to unite and inform parents of new revelations concerning intervention therapy. Today, the Autism Society of San Diego serves as the voice and resource of the San Diego autism community through various events and activities. Society members include autistic individuals and their parents, relatives, friends, advocates, caregivers, medical professionals and educators throughout San Diego County and beyond.