The S.J. Quinney College of Law is saddened by the passing of Shireen Khazeni, a longtime advocate for environmental conservation and supporter of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment.
In 1995, Shireen Khazeni and her husband, Reza, established the Reza Ali Khazeni Memorial Fellowship in Environmental Law in memory of their son Reza, who tragically died young, to commemorate his deep commitment to protecting the environment.
The endowed fellowship has been awarded to more than 30 Utah Law students as of 2025, providing them with a stipend that allows them to work during the summer for a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization such as the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Sierra Club, and Western Resource Advocates.
“I will greatly miss Shireen, who was the generous moving force behind the Stegner Center’s Reza Ali Khazeni Memorial Fellowship in Environmental Law,” said Robert Keiter, professor of law and previous director of the Wallace Stegner Center. “She dedicated the fellowship to perpetuating her late son’s deep love for the natural world and passionate commitment to environmental protection. This has enabled numerous law students over the years to gain important legal experience in environmental law and advocacy while working in the nonprofit world, and has helped to launch several students toward notable careers in this field.”
Read Shireen Khazeni’s full obituary.