Yasmine Askalani

Yasmine Askalani is president of the Washington Opera Society, a role to which she was elected by unanimous vote after initially declining to serve as president rather than a board member. With a lifelong passion for opera stemming from childhood visits with her father and her background as a ballerina dancing to classical music, she works to revive the art form by expanding audiences and creating accessible programs such as monthly opera series for the 250 embassies in Washington. As the founder of Saving Innocence, established around 2021 or 2022, she conducts anti-trafficking outreach and awareness speaking in schools in collaboration with teams including Homeland Security. She also founded the Beautiful Minds Club in 2020, an organization offering tailored educational excursions and seminars for neurodivergent and special needs children after high school to foster motivation, friendships, and productive use of time. In addition, Askalani has served for 18 years on the committee of the Catholic Coalition for Special Education, helping to establish special education programs in Catholic schools across the country. Prior to her philanthropic work, she worked as an interior designer for 30 years, gaining extensive experience entering family homes and building ongoing client relationships. Her advice to young women is to follow their heart, have courage, believe in themselves, and keep going despite failures.