The EastWest Institute (EWI) announced today that Tara Kangarlou has joined the team for one year as a Visiting Scholar.   

Given her experience as a journalist, Kangarlou will contribute toward the Institute’s communication initiatives, as well as provide input to select programmatic work, including the Middle East North Africa Program.

“We take great pleasure in welcoming Tara, who will prove to be a valuable member of our team during her time here,” said Dr. William J. Parker III, Chief Operating Officer, the EastWest Institute. “Tara’s background as a journalist, on the ground in the Middle East, and in heading up her a non-profit organization focusing on refugee issues maps well to the work of EWI in the region.”

Kangarlou is an award-winning journalist, having reported and produced for CNN, CNN International, NBC, Huffington Post, Al Monitor, NPR and Al Jazeera America. As a multimedia journalist, Kangarlou has reported from the United States and around the world. Her primary areas of expertise are the Middle East, socio-cultural affairs, foreign policy and women’s issues in developing countries. She is also the founder and president of the Art of Hope, a non-profit organization focused on addressing specific needs of Syrian refugees in the Middle East.

Kangarlou has a Bachelor’s Degree from UCLA in English Literature, and a Master’s Degree in Broadcast & Digital Journalism from University of Southern California.