Homa Sabet Tavangar is the author of the widely-acclaimed, Random House/Ballantine Books release, Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World, named a “Best New Parenting Book” by Scholastic Parent & Child magazine, and hailed by national education and business leaders and media ranging from Dr. Jane Goodall to the BBC, NBC, ABC, Washington Post.com, Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, Boston Globe, PBS, Parents Magazine, Rodale Press, FoxNews.com, the Huffington Post and many more. Her book is sparking initiatives across the U.S. to help audiences from CEOs to Kindergartners learn and thrive in a global context – and have fun along the way.
Homa is the lead author of The Global Education Toolkit for Elementary Learners (Sage/Corwin, 2014), contributor to Mastering Global Literacy, Heidi Hayes-Jacobs, ed. (Solution Tree, Nov. 2013) and is currently working on a 3-book series with Professor Yong Zhao on educating creative, entrepreneurial “World Class Learners.”
She serves as Series Consultant to NBC Sprout TV’s original series, Nina’s World, starring Rita Moreno and Mandy Patinkin. Nina’s World celebrates everyday adventures in a multi-cultural neighborhood and embodies the principles of Growing Up Global. Homa serves as Education Adviser to Quiet Revolution, Barefoot Books, a consortium of International Schools, and also has been Education Adviser to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. She has worked with organizations ranging from the World Bank and USAID to Education First (EF), PBS Parents, Sprout TV, Kidshealth.org, and was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. Her writing appears on National Geographic Education, Edutopia, the Huffington Post, PBS, Momsrising, GOOD, and EducationWeek, among other media, and she is a sought-after speaker around global citizenship, globalizing curriculum, parenting, diversity, and creating inclusive, empathetic working and learning environments.
Prior to turning her sights to global education and parenting, Homa spent 20 years working in global competitiveness, organizational, business and international development with hundreds of businesses, non-profit agencies, governments and international organizations. Born in Iran, she also has lived in East and West Africa, South America and throughout the U.S. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA and holds a Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. She speaks three-and-a-half languages and her religious heritage includes four of the world’s major faiths. An active volunteer in her local community near Philadelphia, she also serves on the board of the Tahirih Justice Center, a national organization protecting immigrant women and girls fleeing violence. She is married and the mother of three girls ages 12, 20 and 22.
Speaking
Homa is looking forward to sharing ideas from Growing Up Global and subsequent research with communities everywhere. When people begin to explore the opportunities for connecting with the world, we all learn so much. Consider inviting Homa to your community for a talk, book discussion, an international day, school assembly, training in a school or corporate environment, or consultation with administration for implementing a globally-oriented strategic plan. See the Events page for more information on each of these formats and for her upcoming schedule.
“Homa Tavangar is one of those rare individuals who both speaks and writes eloquently about what it means to prepare young people to be true world citizens. She has much to offer community and civic leaders, parents, and educators and has my highest recommendation. Her book, Growing Up Global, makes a unique – and much-needed – contribution at the intersection of parenting, education and global know-how.”
-Tony Wagner, author of Creating Innovators and The Global Achievement Gap
Homa Tavangar inspired our World View audience at our global education symposium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Participants left her presentation wanting more professional development in global education for themselves and more globally centered classrooms for their students. Thanks to Homa’s content, skill building techniques and strategies, great change will happen in North Carolina classrooms.
– Charlé LaMonica, Director, World View at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“Homa is such an inspiring presenter and offered a plethora of ways for us to grow as educators as well as strengthen our school’s Global Studies program. Through discussions, multi-media clips and hands-on experiences, Homa helped me to build an awareness of what it means to truly be a “Global Citizen” and opened my eyes to both the small and large ways I can weave cultural understanding into my everyday practice as an educator.”
-Mary Jo Allegra, Friends Academy (NY), Lower School
“We received a great deal of positive feedback from our 950 plus members and guests in attendance regarding your insightful remarks on the value of cultivating global citizenship for career success. Guests loved the human perspective that you shared and how it can be translated to the business world. They also appreciated the anecdotes you shared and appreciated your great ideas and advice.”
-Kaarina Koskenalusta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Executives’ Club of Chicago
“The feedback from teachers and students alike was unanimous: all were inspired and appreciative to learn from someone who possessed genuine passion for cross-cultural understanding and civic diplomacy.”
-Dana Devon, VP-Education, World Affairs Council of Philadelphia