Golnaz Kamali was born in Shiraz, Iran. Golnaz and her family fled Iran in 1978 when she was 14 years old because they are members of the Baha'i Faith. After living in India for three years the 7 member family moved to the United States in 1981. Golnaz earned her doctorate degree in pharmacy from the University of New Mexico and specialised in nuclear pharmacy. She is currently living in Orange County, CA. She is an active member of the Baha'i community. Golnaz says that since the 1979 Iranian revolution the number of Baha'is around the world has more than doubled from over 3 million members to over 7 million.