Dr. Arash Daneshzadeh

Dr. Arash Daneshzadeh (he/him) is the CEO and Founder of Third Space Educational Consulting Services and a nationally recognized organizational coach and project specialist in social impact across the Bay Area for over 25 years, including a decade in Oakland. With over two decades of experience advancing educational equity, environmental justice, community development, and public health, he has led initiatives ranging from trauma-informed service design at East Bay Agency for Children to founding Contra Costa County’s Refugee Resettlement Program, which has supported more than 3,000 families across the Bay Area. A former STEM teacher, philanthropic director, and higher education leader, Dr. Daneshzadeh holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Organizational Management from UC Davis and has authored several books on restorative justice, hip hop activism, and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline.

Born a child of war and raised in the Bay Area as a refugee and justice-impacted youth, Dr. Daneshzadeh brings lived expertise to his leadership. He has taught in the Prison University Project at San Quentin, served as Editor-in-Chief of the Transformative Justice Journal, and continues to consult nationally on trauma-informed and culturally sustaining practices. His career reflects a lifelong commitment to building healing, inclusive systems that honor community resilience and collective liberation.