Rising Stars: Meet Azi Amirteymoori of Stevenson Ranch

That refuge turned into a calling. I stayed in parks and recreation for years — lifeguarding, teaching lessons, and eventually managing the aquatics programs for the cities of Glendale and Burbank. I even went back to my own high school to coach the JV water polo team. I studied Sociology at Cal State Northridge, but I always wanted to keep going.

The person who shaped me most was my grandmother — my father’s mother. Both my parents worked, so she was the primary caretaker for my sister and me. When we emigrated, we had begun the sponsorship paperwork to bring her to the States with us. She passed away from a stroke before that was possible, and it devastated me. That loss is what first drew me toward medicine — I wanted to become a brain surgeon. Organic chemistry had other plans, and pre-med fell away. But the drive to do more never did.

That drive — and, honestly, a fair amount of the people-pleaser in me — eventually led me down a more winding path, including a spiritual one. The short version: I went to law school in Michigan, moved back to California, and didn’t pass the bar or land a job on the first attempt. I took work as a hearing representative in the workers’ compensation field — a largely thankless job. Then an opportunity opened at the L.A. County Fire Department: candidates with a J.D. could bypass the four years of personnel analyst experience the role normally required. Four of us, all attorneys, applied — and all four were hired across different County departments. I landed at Fire, and that is where my career in HR, employee relations, and workplace investigations truly began.

From there I moved into healthcare doing the same work, then into tech as a Global HR Business Partner, then Disney, then the Federal Reserve. Today I run my own HR consulting firm, advising businesses on legal, employment, and HR matters, and conducting workplace investigations. I think being bullied as a child is exactly what made me want to fight for the people who need an advocate. Even as a kid among my friends, I was always the mediator — always rooting for the underdog.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free. Would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?

Far from smooth. I got divorced when my daughter was eight months old, and I’ve raised her as a single mother with no financial support. It has been the greatest gift of my life — not only to be her mother, but to be a role model for her: to chase her dreams, and to learn to quiet the noise of other people’s negativity.

What makes you happy?

Seeing employees feel heard, in a space where they’re safe and protected from retaliation. And making sure that even the hardest conversations — reductions in force, terminations — are handled with the dignity and respect every person deserves.

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