Anousheh Ansari is Chairman, CEO, and Co-founder of Prodea Systems, a private US-based company offering technological solutions for businesses. In 2006, she became the first privately funded woman, and first Iranian, to explore space. In 2015, the National Space Society awarded Ansari the Space Pioneer Award for her service to the space community. She received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Utah Valley University. In 2017, Ansari co-represented Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi at the 89th Academy Awards, accepting the Oscar on his behalf for his film The Salesman. Farhadi did not attend himself due to his opposition to President Trump’s immigration ban.