About Us
is found in the middle of a rural oasis in the Arizona Sonoran Desert outside Eloy, midway between Phoenix and Tucson. Composed of halls, meeting spaces, a large professional kitchen, dormitories, a swimming pool, and rental units, DRBI is a charitable, not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that is inspired by the peaceful and unifying teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.
Our Vision
Desert Rose is a community-based center of learning, guided by Bahá’í principles, that creates an atmosphere of spirituality which inspires positive human development.
Our Mission
The Mission of Desert Rose is to serve the community at large through phased development of activities and institutions that promote spiritual, artistic, intellectual, agricultural, and other practical education for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Governance Structure
The Board of Directors is appointed by the Corporate membership of the Institute, the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Scottsdale Arizona, and consists of the following members:
Taj Sabet BBA: Chair. Taj is a trilingual businessman /entrepreneur who is currently focused in real estate investment. Taj has served as Chairman of the Board for the past six years, has lived and worked around the world and is also the great-grandson of Shu’a’u’llah ‘A’la’i, one of the two Hands of the Cause to whom the institute is dedicated.
Dr. Marjaneh Gilpatrick Ed.D: Secretary. Marjaneh is the Associate Dean in the College of Education at Grand Canyon University. In that role she oversees the college’s outreach, research, and development efforts. She is particularly passionate about providing culturally responsive opportunities that enrich the underserved students for whom English is an additional language.
Dwight Cox: Vice-Chair. Dwight joined the DRBI Board in 2015 after he moved his Aviation business into the Eloy Sky Dive property just down the road. Dwight’s degree in Aviation Mechanics belies his passion for reclaiming the desert as viable land.
Harry Walker B.Sc. MBA: Treasurer. Harry is an accomplished business strategist, corporate finance manager, and economic development strategist. Specializing in economic development and emerging markets, Harry brings creative thinking to the challenge of financial sustainability for not-for-profits.
Mooi Yong Ng Khosraviani BSc: Board member.
Mooi Yong is the accounting
manager for Flowers Bakery
stationed in the Phoenix area. Born and raised in Malaysia, she has served the Faith in multiple countries before settling inArizona.
Marguerite Sears: Board member.
As the namesake and grand daughter of the founder of DRBI, Marguerite has a unique connection to the Institute. She specializes in envisioning events and activities that will inform even more people about Desert Rose.
Jeanne Sheridan: Board member.
Jeanne and her husband Duffy were some of the first people to come to DRBI and, after a short absence, we are thrilled to welcome her back. Jeanne helps drive many of the Arts and cultural programs at the Institute.
Executive Director
The Executive Director is the individual who oversees the Administration of the Institute, executing against strategies that have been proposed by the Board. In this period of downturn, Board Vice-Chair Harry Walker is filling the Executive Director role on a part-time basis, and we thank him for this additional contribution.
Management Team
As a Not-for-Profit 501c (3) DRBI has long relied on the generosity of skilled individuals within the community to administer the day-to-day activities of Desert Rose. This can mean everything from answering queries on the phone to scheduling tours, managing accounts payable, completing maintenance and orchestrating landscaping.
You may call them Volunteers; we call them EXTRAORDINARY!
DRBI’s extraordinary Management Team is:
John Hanke, Gayle Hanke, and Rob Prater
Our core team keeps the Institute running like a charm, assisted by various other volunteers both on-site and off, who are happy to serve DRBI in any way they can.
They can be reached at (520) 466-7961 and at info@drbi.org.
Volunteers
Volunteers are the lifeblood of any non-profit operation. Volunteer service allows DRBI to offer exceptional programs to our local, national, and international audiences. Service opportunities exist in the areas of landscaping, food service, housekeeping, maintenance, programming, events coordination, bookstore, library, and more.
If you are interested in investigating a Volunteer experience at DRBI please visit the Contribute page.
ART AND SOUL
Eleanor Elizabeth Hadden, David Hadden’s mother, was a beloved Bahá’í who selflessly served the faith with her husband Lyall in Ghana, Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) and the United States. Eleanor Hadden’s dedication to the Faith was an inspiration to many. She was particularly known for her way to keep isolated believers connected through her story-telling and written bulletins. In their early years, the Sears and the Haddens lived near to each other outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and this led to a lifetime bond between the families.
chools and her love for Jesus was quite deep. Marguerite’s education includes attendance at Stout College in Wisconsin, Marquette University, Duke University and Curry School of Speech in Boston. She also enjoyed watercolor art.
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