BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mikhail Zaretsky | President & CEO

Mikhail Zaretsky, the President & CEO of the SAEF and a member of the Board of Directors, is also the President of the Gilbert Table Tennis Center, one of the most highly respected table tennis facilities in the country. The Gilbert Center is renowned for having produced the prestigious Gilbert Cup Event during 1996-1998, which to this day remains the most famous international table tennis tournament ever held in Los Angeles. After years of training as a young boy, Mr. Zaretsky won the distinguished Belarusian Junior Championship at the age of 17. By age 22, he chose to become a professional coach and has followed that path ever since. Mr. Zaretsky has dedicated his life to passing on his depth of knowledge and experience to children everywhere who represent the future generation of table tennis champions.

Deepak Nayar | Director

Deepak Nayar, an independent producer, began his career in his native India collaborating with the Merchant Ivory group on films including "Heat & Dust," "The Deceivers," and "The Perfect Murder." He then moved to Los Angeles and produced television series at ABC, CBS, and FOX. Nayar founded Kintop Pictures, and produced films for David Lynch and Wim Wenders, earning an Oscar nomination for Wender's "The Buena Vista Social Club" and a Grammy nomination for the music video "Teatro." In 2001, Nayar produced "Bend it Like Beckham," earning both Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.Mr. Nayar has been a long time benefactor to the Sport and Art Educational Foundation in its fight against Alzheimer’s and serves as a valuable member of the SAEF Board of Directors.

Michael James Jackson | Director

President and co-founder with Graham Nash of Manuscript Originals, Michael James Jackson has been a record producer and music supervisor for film for over 25 years. Mr. Jackson previously worked with artists such as KISS, Paul Williams, Jesse Colin Young, Pablo Cruise, and Red Rider, among many others. Having produced over 30 albums, Mr. Jackson's work has earned eight gold and six platinum record awards. He also conceived and produced the highly successful "Off The Record" book featuring 25 of the world's most celebrated songs and their writers, along with producing the "Songstories with Graham Nash" radio show for XM Satellite Radio. Mr. Jackson is an honorary member of the Board of Directors for the SAEF and serves as the Head of the SAEF Advisory Council.

Anita Zakharyan | Director

Anita Zakharyan is an extraordinary table tennis champion. Her initial awards began with her winning the Junior European Champion in 1977, 1979 and again, in 1980. In 1984, she was crowned the Women's European Champion, to be followed by her winning the Individual Women's Championship in the USSR in 1984 and 1986, earning her the status of the # 1 women's player in Russia during those same years. A three-time World Bronze Medalist winner in team competition, Ms. Zakharyan also holds a Bachelor's Degree from the Armenian State Institute of Physical Education. After moving to the United States in 1989, she was named a member of the United States National Team and earned Gold, Silver and Bronze medalist in the U.S. Nationals Competition from 1991-1995.