Anna Akbari

Anna Akbari teaches in the department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University and in the School of Art and Design History and Theory at Parsons: The New School for Design. She is also a New York-based, freelance fashion consultant, otherwise known as “The Wardrobe Doctor,” and a freelance beverage consultant.  She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from The New School for Social Research. While attending graduate school, she co-founded Brainwright, a New York-based business that connects skilled, working arts and humanities professionals with students of all ages and levels for private coaching. A former Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic, Akbari founded and managed the Mao Foundation for Bellas Artes, a nonprofit music foundation which raises scholarship money to train Dominican piano students as teachers.

Akbari also has a background in theater. A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, she has recorded radio voice-overs, taught numerous children's theater workshops, and performed in a variety of theatrical productions. She is the former host of Manhattan Neighborhood Network's "Ranting and Raving Reviews" and has interviewed celebrities like Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly. Akbari worked with Linda Ellerbee's production company, Lucky Duck Productions, researching and assisting the production of "Lifetime Intimate Portraits," HBO specials, and Nikelodeon's "Nick News."

She has over ten years of experience working in the fashion industry in New York City and beyond.