HARAZ GHANBARI, Director of Military and Veterans Affairs at the University of Toledo

Navy Reserve Lieutenant Haraz Ghanbari is the director of military and veterans affairs at the University of Toledo (UT). He served for eight years in the Army National Guard and was honorably discharged as a sergeant in 2007. In 2009, he received a direct commission into the US Navy Reserve and is currently assigned to the Joint Public Affairs Support Element, a rapid-deployment unit based in Norfolk, Virginia. He has deployed in support of Operations Joint Forge, Enduring Freedom, and Inherent Resolve.

A member of the Cedar Creek Church Security Team and Security Committee, Ghanbari helps ensure the safety of those attending the Perrysburg campus. His community outreach through UT has garnered national, regional, and local media coverage for the university, including recognition by Rolling Thunder for his dedication of two permanently unoccupied chairs at UT’s athletics facilities honoring Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.

Nominated by Cory Stine