Ayesha Ali

Consul General of Pakistan

Ms. Ayesha Ali has been the Consul General of Pakistan in New York since 2019. Previously, she held several Director level positions in Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, served as Political Counsellor for the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi, and served as Third and First Secretary for the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C. Ms. Ali has a Master's in International Public Policy (MIPP) from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a Master's in English Literature from the University of the Punjab.

Imran Khan

Chief Technology Officer at SoftServ Inter

Consultant in Machine Vision, Image Processing, CUDA-based algorithm development, FPGA design using VHDL/SystemC based simulation, embedded software development, digital signal processing, wireless networks, compression technologies, visualization, GPU implementation, CELL implementation and graphics. Experienced in new business development, technology /product development and offshore technology development. Specialties: Image Processing and Machine Vision using CUDA VHDL and SystemC co simulation. Multi-Core Programming. Multi Computer Applications. Scalable HW Agnostic Object Architectures. Visualization using Visualization ToolKit VTK. GUI development using QT.

Yasmin Causer

CPA/PFS, CFP, TEP, AEP

Yasmin Causer is a Principal in the Private Client Services Group at KLR. Yasmin has over twenty-five years of public accounting experience advising high net worth individuals and their families in tax matters arising out of complex financial structures comprising of closely held businesses, various forms of trusts, family limited partnerships, and private foundations. In addition to federal, multi-state, and international income tax compliance and planning matters, Yasmin’s focus is on helping individuals and families manage, monitor, and evaluate their financial situation. She also advises clients on gifting strategies, philanthropic planning, and multi-generation wealth transfer opportunities. Yasmin received a BS in Accountancy (Cum Laude) from Bentley University and an MS in Taxation from Golden Gate University. Yasmin’s various professional affiliations consist of: membership in the American Society of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) where she is a founding member of the AICPA – Family Office Group; Membership in the Boston Estate Planning Council (BEPC) where she serves as a Member of the Board; Membership of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) where she serves on the steering committee; and membership of Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants. Yasmin enjoys community involvement and serves as a treasurer for Kids4Peace Boston, an organization cultivating future interfaith peace leaders, and The Legacy Dialogues, an organization providing a forum to facilitate achievement of high impact through philanthropy.

Amar Kumar

Founder KaiPod Learning and Former Chief Product Officer of Pearson

Amar Kumar is an education entrepreneur passionate about making learning more personal, more social, and more engaging. He is the founder of KaiPod Learning, where small group learning from the time of Aristotle is paired with the online learning of today. In his past experience, Amar was the Chief Product Officer for Pearson's Online K-12 division. He has also been a school teacher and a principal at a high-needs rural school in India.

Dr. Fauzia Khan, MD, FCAP.

Co-founder, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Persivia

Fauzia Khan, MD, FCAP, is a healthcare leader, senior executive, and serial entrepreneur experienced in developing and operationalizing cutting-edge, technology-enabled business solutions. Dr. Khan’s experiences extend from running a Health IT portfolio of a $5.3 Billion company to building two successful start-ups in the physician provider area and the Value-Based Care (VBC) market. She is the Co-founder, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Persivia a rapidly growing Health IT business with clients that range from the US Government, large Hospital Systems to large and small Provider organizations. In her role as COO, she is responsible for company vision, strategy and execution by providing direction and leadership to develop practical and scalable technologies that allow Clinical Decision Support, Artificial Intelligence, and Analytic capabilities to be seamlessly incorporated into clinical workflows to improve outcomes. Dr. Khan was instrumental in developing the company’s emerging technology products including Artificial Intelligence, Home Monitoring, Population Health, and Care Management. She is experienced in leading healthcare IT organizations to achieve success by transforming the business model and working with complex and often remote teams to collaborate to create value and achieve critical goals. Most recently Dr. Khan was CMO of Connected Health, and Chair, Alere Medical Advisory Board. Dr. Khan is responsible for identifying innovative technologies, emerging evidence-based knowledge, and new capabilities that can further advance the company’s growth. Dr. Khan is the recipient of several awards including Entrepreneur of the Year: High Tech Business from the Immigration Learning Center in 2014 and 2012 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award. She is a leading voice for the evolution of population health and chronic care management and has redefined predictive models for risk-bearing entities such as the ACOs to identify and close clinical and financial care gaps. She is also a well-respected thought leader on the topics of patient engagement, population health management, and improved outcomes through adopting new technologies that integrate across the continuum of care, and has published several articles in US News & World Report, HISTalk, Becker’s Hospital Review, and HealthIT Analytics. Dr. Khan has also provided her industry insights on several high-profile conference panels including the US News & World Report’s Hospital of Tomorrow (HOT) conference, Network for Excellence in Health Innovation (NEHI) Innovation Conference, and the National Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Summit. Prior to Alere Analytics, Dr. Khan was a co-founder of DiagnosisOne which was funded by Edison Ventures and was acquired by Alere in a very successful exit in mid-2012. Prior to DiagnosisOne, she was an attending physician, and program director of Informatics, Department of Pathology at UMass Memorial Health Center, and an Assistant Clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Pathology Residency Program at UMass Medical School. She is also an author and chief editor of “Guide to Diagnostic Testing” a textbook on diagnostic algorithms published by Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.

Press Releases:

The New Normal: Rethinking Healthcare Delivery in a Post-COVID World

When Public Health Meets Population Health

It’s Not Enough to Test for Covid-19. We Need To Act on The Data, And fast

Artificial Intelligence tool Can Spot Possible Coronavirus Cases Before A Test

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MALD.

Infectious Diseases Physician & Medical Director, Special Pathogens Unit at Boston Medical Center

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia is an infectious diseases physician and the medical director of the Special Pathogens Unit at Boston Medical Center a medical unit designed to care for patients with highly communicable diseases. She is an Associate Professor in the Section of Infectious Diseases at Boston University School of Medicine. She oversees the medical response program for Boston University’s maximum containment biosafety level 4 program at National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories. She has experience with direct patient care, outbreak response, and medical countermeasures research during multiple Ebola Virus Disease outbreaks in West and East Africa. During the West African Ebola epidemic, she served as a clinician in several Ebola treatment units, working with World Health Organization and Partners in Health. She currently is the medical lead of the Department of Defense (DoD) funded viral hemorrhagic fever research center in Uganda, entitled Joint Mobile Emerging Disease Intervention Clinical Capability (JMEDICC) program. She co-directs NIH’s Fogarty International Center-funded research training program in Liberia entitled “Boston University and the University of Liberia Emerging and Epidemic Virus Research” program (BUULEEVR). Her research focuses on the identification of safe and effective clinical interventions and infection control measures related to viral hemorrhagic fevers and other emerging infectious diseases. She has prior and ongoing experience in health system response to pathogens such as H1N1, Zika, Lassa fever, Marburg Virus Disease, and COVID-19 at the state, national, and global levels, including supply chain evaluation, diagnostic positioning, infection control policy development, and healthcare worker training. She serves on the state, national, and interagency groups focused on biodefense priority setting, development of clinical care guidelines, and medical countermeasures research. She has served as a subject matter expert to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and World Bank. Dr. Bhadelia is also an Associate Professor at the Institute of Human Security at the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she teaches a course on human security and emerging infectious diseases. She received her Doctorate of Medicine from Tufts University and completed her internal medicine residency and chief residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Her Infectious Diseases Fellowship was completed at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

Hussain Dawood

A Pakistani industrialist and ardent philanthropist

He currently chairs the boards of Engro Corporation, a diversified conglomerate; Dawood Hercules Corporation, the group’s holding company; Hub Power Company, an independent power producer; Karachi Education Initiative, which funds the graduate management school Karachi School of Business & Leadership, and The Dawood Foundation, with its legacy of establishing various educational institutions across the country. His social responsibilities include Memberships of the World Economic Forum and its Global Agenda Councils of Anti-Corruption and Education. He was conferred the award “Ufficiale Ordine Al merito della Repubblica Italiana” by the Republic of Italy. Hussain Dawood holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, USA, and is a graduate in Metallurgy from Sheffield University, UK.

Alex Kronemer

Executive Producer at Unity Productions Foundation

Ambereen Mirza

Managing Partner, Global Consultant at PoliKey

Fareena Sultan

Professor at D’Amore-McKim School of Business

Fariha Chaudry

Senior Director, Global Platform Leader at Connected Care, Eli Lilly

Jean Hammond

Serial entrepreneur, investor in ZipCar, iTeam, Crimson Hexagon, founder of LearnLaunch, cofounder Quarry Technologies and AXON Networks, member of MIT Board of Trustees

Juliette Kayyem

CEO and Co-founder at Grip Mobility

Kalsoom Lakhani

Co-Founder/GP at I2I Ventures

Lubna Khalid

Founder, REAL Cosmetics & International Empowerment Speaker

Mehreen Butt

Wakefield Town Councilor

Mohamad Ali

CEO at IDG (International Data Group)

Naheed Usmani

Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology & APPNA President

Salma Kazmi

Director of Operations, Medullan

Asim Khwaja

Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) faculty Professor

Deanna Ford

EPOD Executive Director

Michael Rybicki

Senior Advisor to the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security for the State of Massachusetts

Adil Najam

Dean, Boston University - Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Board of Directors at The Citizens Foundation

David Potere

co-founder and CEO of TellusLabs,

David Potere is the co-founder and CEO of TellusLabs, a Boston-based startup that combines decades of satellite imagery with a machine learning platform to answer critical, time-sensitive economic and environmental questions. David co-founded Boston Consulting Group’s global data science practice. At TellusLabs, David is combining his love of satellite remote sensing with nearly a decade of practical experience addressing the geospatial and data-driven questions of the Fortune 500. Prior to BCG, David served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the US Navy. He received an AB from Harvard College, an MA in satellite remote sensing from Boston University, and a PhD in geo-demography from Princeton.

Jared Auerbach

Owner & CEO, Red’s Best

Jared, originally from Newton, MA, worked on commercial vessels in Alaska and Cape Cod during the early 2000’s after he finished college. Working alongside hardworking fishermen, Jared saw how the advent of industrial technology and strict governmental regulation of open oceans impacted traditional fishing communities and family fishing businesses. He first-handedly witnessed their struggle for survival. Jared also saw the quality, abundance, and vast variety of species available in New England’s pristine cold waters. He notes, “Even early in my fishing career, I saw a misalignment of supply and demand in the seafood industry. Small vessels landing in New England are literally bringing in the best fish in the world, yet they are struggling to make a living. Meanwhile, less superior fish is being imported into the US in massive amounts. It didn’t make sense. And all the while, local fish seemed really hard to find as an everyday consumer. Something needed to change.” In 2006, Jared founded Red’s Best envisioning a brand that would represent each and every fisherman and the pride of the profession. He set out to create a way to create efficiency in government reporting and to make it easier for consumers to have direct access to the freshest seafood while helping to sustain the livelihoods of American fishermen.

Megan Sheahan

Director of Operations at Precision Agriculture for Development

Megan Sheahan is the Director of Operations at Precision Agriculture for Development. Previously, she held research, research management, project management, and technical assistance roles at Cornell University, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), and Chemonics International and has worked as a consultant for various organizations, including the World Bank and African Development Bank. She holds an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Boston University.

Tariq Malik

Tariq Malik has been an investor and wealth manager for over 20 years and is Managing Partner of Ammana Investments

Tariq Malik has been an investor and wealth manager for over 20 years and is Managing Partner of Ammana Investments. Tariq has extensive experience in portfolio management and asset allocation via equities, bonds, commodities, high-end residential real estate and private equity. Tariq’s expertise falls into three categories: Asset and Liability Management Financial Planning Estate Planning Strategies Tariq began his career with Merrill Lynch and New England Financial Group. Tariq has an MBA from Georgia Southern University and attended the Boston College Executive Management Program. Tariq is active in several community organizations and has served on the board of the Human Development Foundation.

Yasmin Causer

CPA/PFS, CFP, TEP, AEP

Yasmin Causer is a Principal in the Private Client Services Group at KLR. Yasmin has over twenty-five years of public accounting experience advising high net worth individuals and their families in tax matters arising out of complex financial structures comprising of closely held businesses, various forms of trusts, family limited partnerships, and private foundations. In addition to federal, multi-state, and international income tax compliance and planning matters, Yasmin’s focus is on helping individuals and families manage, monitor, and evaluate their financial situation. She also advises clients on gifting strategies, philanthropic planning, and multi-generation wealth transfer opportunities. Yasmin received a BS in Accountancy (Cum Laude) from Bentley University and an MS in Taxation from Golden Gate University. Yasmin’s various professional affiliations consist of: membership in the American Society of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) where she is a founding member of the AICPA – Family Office Group; Membership in the Boston Estate Planning Council (BEPC) where she serves as a Member of the Board; Membership of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) where she serves on the steering committee; and membership of Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants. Yasmin enjoys community involvement and serves as a treasurer for Kids4Peace Boston, an organization cultivating future interfaith peace leaders, and The Legacy Dialogues, an organization providing a forum to facilitate achievement of high impact through philanthropy.

Nergis Mavalvala

Marble Professor of Astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a 2010 recipient of a MacArthur “genius” award

Nergis Mavalvala, Marble Professor of Astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a 2010 recipient of a MacArthur “genius” award, is a physicist whose research focuses on the detection of gravitational waves from violent events in the cosmos that warp and ripple the fabric of spacetime. Mavalvala is a member of the scientific team that in February 2016 announced the first direct detection of gravitational waves from colliding black holes using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors. As a member of the LIGO team, she shared in the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2016) and Gruber Prize in Cosmology (2016). Mavalvala has also conducted pioneering experiments to create and use exotic quantum states of light, and also to optically cool and trap centimeter-scale objects to enable observation of quantum phenomena in macroscopic objects. Mavalvala received her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and her Ph.D. from MIT. After graduate school, she was a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist at the California Institute of Technology. In 2002 she returned to MIT as faculty. In her spare time, she loves to bicycle long distances, play squash, and spend time with her family.

Tasneem Zehra Husain

theoretical physicist, writer and educator.

Tasneem Zehra Husain is a theoretical physicist, writer and educator. Her debut novel “Only the Longest Threads” was appreciated by critics as “a fictional approach to physics that captures both the substance of the theory and the passion of its practitioners”. Husain’s research probes the realm of 11-dimensional supergravity, but she also has a more general interest in the history and philosophy of physics. Husain is fascinated by how we engage with scientific theories, and how that interaction changes us; she explores these themes in her fiction and nonfiction writing. Husain is concerned with issues in science education, and has conducted several workshops for school teachers. She is also actively involved in outreach, to students as well as lay audiences. After receiving her PhD in string theory from Stockholm University, Husain pursued post-doctoral research at Harvard University, before returning to Lahore as a founding faculty member at the LUMS School of Science & Engineering. She currently resides in Cambridge.

Brock Reeve

Director, Harvard Stem Cell Institute

Brock Reeve is Executive Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. In partnership with the Faculty Directors, he has overall responsibility for the operations and strategy of the Institute whose mission is to use stem cells, both as tools and as therapies, to understand and treat the root causes of leading degenerative diseases. HSCI is comprised of the schools of Harvard University and all its affiliated hospitals and research institutions. Under the leadership of the Executive Committee, HSCI invests in scientific research and its faculty has grown to include over 300 Principal and Affiliated members. The Institute is engaged with several leading pharmaceutical companies and foundations in joint research projects and its faculty have founded several stem cell-related startup companies and serve on leading Scientific Advisory Boards. Brock came to this role from the commercial sector with extensive experience in both management consulting and operations for technology-based companies, with a focus on life sciences. Brock received a BA and MPhil from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Ahmed Busnaina

Director, National Science Foundation’s Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center NorthEastern University

Ahmed Busnaina, Ph.D. is the William Lincoln Smith Chair Professor at Northeastern University and Director. NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for High Rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN). He is an internationally-recognized authority in the area of surface cleaning and contamination control area. He is a leader in developing fast massive directed assembly of nanoscale elements (such as carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles, etc.). This includes developing templates to direct the assembly of nanoelements into nanoscale structures in a short time (in seconds) and over a large area. Author of more than 600 papers in refereed journals, proceedings and conferences. Invited to write more than 25 articles in several scientific and industrial publications. He edited and co edited more than 15 proceedings and newsletters for many professional societies. He organized more than 80 conferences, workshops, symposia and programs for many professional societies. He consulted extensively to the semiconductor industry on a variety of issues and invited to teach more than 50 shortcourses and present 300 seminars and has 20 patents. He is widely-quoted and has provided insights to several national/international news organizations and publications, ranging from Semiconductor International to Wall Street News wires. He serves on many advisory boards including Samsung Electronics; Chemical Industry Nanomaterials Roadmap, International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, Journal of Particulate Science and Technology, Journal of Environmental Sciences. He is an American Society of Mechanical Engineering Fellow, a Fellow of the Adhesion Society, an Associate Fellow of the AIAA and IES. He received the Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, Dow Outstanding Young Faculty Award (ASEE); In addition to numerous Who’s Who listings such as Who’s Who in the World; in America; in Science and Engineering; who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America; American Men and Women of Science.

Dr. Khalid Shah

Director, Stem Cell Therapeutics and Imaging Program Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. Khalid Shah is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and heads the Molecular Neurotherapy and Imaging Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. He is also the Director of the Stem Cell Therapeutics and Imaging program in MGH’s Center for Translational Research, and is a Principal Faculty at Harvard Stem Cell Institute in Boston. In recent years, Dr. Shah and his team have pioneered major developments in the cancer research field, successfully developing therapeutic stem cells for cancer, particularly brain tumors. These studies have been published in a number of very high impact journals like Nature Neuroscience, PNAS, JNCI, Stem Cells, Lancet Oncology and Nature Reviews Cancer validating the use of therapeutic stem cells for cancer therapy. The potential of developing novel cancer therapies in his laboratory has been recognized by many cancer alliances and associations. Based on this, he has received the young investigator award from Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), Research fellow award from American Cancer Society (ACS), Innovation awards from James McDonnell Foundation, American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA), Goldhirsh Foundation, and American Association of Radiology. Additionally, Dr. Shah has participated in the training of numerous undergraduate, graduate students and residents at MGH, and the potential of his mentoring has been recognized by Harvard Medical School, who recently awarded him the Harvard Young Mentor Award. Dr. Shah’s laboratory has achieved international recognition and has recently launched an outreach program to create public awareness of the fervent need for effective brain tumor treatments, and the current research on the cusp of clinical translation that would yield paramount progress for cancer patients. Amongst Dr. Shah’s recently published works are two books featuring current groundbreaking insights into stem cell therapies for cancer.

Dr. Mehmet Dokmeci

Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Mehmet R. Dokmeci received B.S. (with distinction) and M.S. degrees from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, all in Electrical Engineering. Dr. Dokmeci is currently an Instructor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Harvard Medical School, a position he has held since June 2011. He is also the co-director of the Biomaterials Innovation Research Center (BIRC) at BWH. Previously, he was on the faculty of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Northeastern University. Before joining academia, he worked for 4 years at Corning-Intellisense Corporation, Wilmington, MA, developing MEMS-based products for the telecommunications and life science industries. He has extensively published in refereed journals and conferences in the areas of MEMS, BioMEMS, micro- and nanotechnology, and sensors. He is the author of 87 technical journal articles and 110 conference publications, has one edited book, four invited book chapters, and four patents. Dr. Dokmeci is also a long term member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Materials Research Society (MRS), American Chemical Society (ACS), and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His group has received several awards for their research, including the Best Poster Award from the MRS Fall Meeting in 2007 and the Best Poster Award from the 8th IEEE International Conference on Nanotechnology in 2008, and the Best Poster Award at the IEEE BioCAS conference in 2014.

Dr. Steve Gullens

Co-Founder of Exel Ventures, and author of Homo Evolutis

Steve Gullans, Ph.D., is a biotech investor, scientist, entrepreneur, and author. He is currently Managing Director at Excel Venture Management where he invests in young life science companies with transformative technologies. He loves innovation and has spoken widely, including at TED, TEDMED, and TEDx. Previously he was a professor at Harvard Medical School where he published more than 130 scientific papers and was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Mirza Cifric

CEO , Veritas Genetics

Mr. Mirza Cifric is co-Founder of Veritas Genetics and serves as its Chief Executive Officer and Director. Mr. Cifric served as the Chief Executive Officer and Director at AbVitro, Inc. He is a Life sciences entrepreneur. He served as Head of Corporation at Dev. FORMA Therapeutics.

Vinit Nijhawan

Entrepreneur, Investor and Lecturer Boston University

Vinit Nijhawan was Managing Director, Office of Technology Development at Boston University. Vinit teaches MBA courses on Entrepreneurship at BU Questrom School of Business, over 300 students have taken his courses. Vinit has over 30 years of experience building five startups: as CEO of three, five were acquired. Vinit was Venture Partner at Key Venture Partners and over two years sourced over 200 deals and made one investment that was acquired for $430M. Vinit is an advisor and board member to several technology startups and was a Mass High Tech All-Star in 2005. Vinit has participated in over 240-panel discussions and paper presentations and is a Board Member of Mass Ventures, an early stage, quasi-public Massachusetts venture capital firm, a co-founder of EdTech Accelerator/Incubator LearnLaunch, President of Massachusetts Association of Technology Transfer Offices, and on the Advisory Board of Walker Innovation (OTC QB: PPRO). Vinit is also on the board of the National Academy of Inventors. Vinit earned a B.A.Sc in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

Zhi-Yang Tsun

CMO of a Startup

Zhi-Yang Tsun, as co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of a Startup, is on a mission to democratize health testing and usher in an era of proactive healthcare. Zhi is an MD candidate from Harvard Medical School and received his PhD from MIT studying fundamental mechanisms of cell growth and nutrient sensing with David Sabatini.

Alan Martinez (panelist)

Director of Advisory Services at Entrepreneurial Finance Lab (EFL Global)

Alan is Director of Advisory Services at Entrepreneurial Finance Lab. He leads a global team focused on ensuring EFL client success. With institutions like BTPN in Indonesia, JFS in India, and Equity Bank in Kenya, he partners with chief executives and other senior leaders of the top FIs providing access to capital for underserved entrepreneurs and consumers. He has worked with top SME lenders in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. After starting his lending career at ShoreBank in Chicago, he joined ShoreBank International where he founded the company’s credit scoring practice and led micro and SME finance programs across the globe. Alan earned a BA in Philosophy from the University of Texas and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University.

Ambereen Mirza (moderator)

Lecturer, Entrepreneurial Leadership

Ambereen Mirza has over ten years of experience as a consultant, researcher, and instructor in Social Entrepreneurship, Risk Mitigation, and International Development. She has worked with government agencies, quasi-government regulators, multilateral, international development firms, non-governmental organizations, nonprofits, and micro, small, and medium enterprises. Her projects have targeted tourism development, workforce expansion, private sector competitiveness, disaster relief, economic governance, access to finance and healthcare at the bottom of the pyramid, and information, communication, and technology (ICT) promotion in the emerging markets. Ambereen holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and History from Tufts University and a Master’s in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Jeffrey Kushner (panelist)

Board Member at Social Venture Partners (SVP Boston)

Jeff applies the knowledge garnered in a 20-year career in Finance to efforts in the non-profit and government realms. He has a particular interest and expertise in early stage enterprises at the intersection of the profit and non-profit space. Jeff serves in leadership roles in a number of ventures including as a board member of Social Venture Partners, Boston, and Prospect Hill Academy Charter School. He is Board Chairman of GRIT Inc., a Boston based social venture that designs and builds mobility devices. Jeff is also a member of Town Meeting in Brookline, and is an active angel investor and mentor, working with diverse organizations such as Launchpad Venture Group, Harvard i-lab, and Social Innovation Forum. Prior to receiving his MPA from the Kennedy School of Government in 2014, Jeff held a number of leadership roles in the financial services sector, most recently serving as the CEO of BlueMountain Capital, Europe. Jeff also holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BA in History from the University at Albany.

Mary McVeigh (panelist)

Co-Founder and Executive Director at Soccer Without Borders

Mary is a former professional soccer player and humanitarian, co-founder, and currently the Executive Director of Soccer Without Borders, an international non-profit that uses soccer as a vehicle for positive change in the United States and abroad. SWB is best known for its work breaking barriers for girls of all cultural backgrounds to play, and using soccer as a tool for integration and inclusion of refugee and immigrant communities. In 2003, Mary was the only Ivy League player drafted to the Women’s United Soccer Association, chosen by the Philadelphia Charge in the first round. A Dartmouth College philosophy major, she holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from Lehigh University where she also served as an Assistant Coach.

Nadeem Mazen (panelist)

Founder of Nimblebot and danger! awesome

Nadeem is an educator, entrepreneur, and community organizer. Nadeem first arrived in Cambridge to study Engineering at MIT. After graduation, he founded two small community-oriented businesses in Central Square: Nimblebot, a creative agency, and danger! awesome, a maker space that brings creative expression and tools to the masses. He is a natural collaborator and problem-solver, dedicated to bringing fresh, progressive voices into community leadership. Nadeem currently serves as an elected member of the Cambridge City Council.

Nayab Ahmad (panelist)

Director of Product Development at Barakat Bundle

Nayab is a recent Harvard College graduate and currently the Director of Product Development of Barakat Bundle, a social enterprise that is dedicated to reducing preventable infant and maternal mortality in South Asia. Inspired by the Finnish Baby Box, Barakat Bundle is a curated bundle of life-saving solutions and baby care items to support expectant mothers during delivery and infant care. Barakat Bundle was a 2015 finalist in MassChallenge and is currently being incubated at the Harvard Innovation Lab.

Rita Fuerst Adams (moderator)

Vice President and Philanthropy Practice Leader at Sandler Training | Salefish, LLC

Rita transforms charitable and philanthropic organizations at the heart of social change into professionally run, better funded, effective organizations through management and fundraising consulting and training. She recently joined Sandler Training | SaleFish, LLC because its nontraditional selling system plus innovative reinforcement training makes it the ideal partner for entrepreneurs at all stages of development of their idea and company and for new and emerging philanthropic organizations.

Dr. Iffat Zafar Aga

Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of DoctHers

Iffat is the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of DoctHers – a novel healthcare system that allows home-based female doctors to remotely treat millions of underserved patients with the help of internet-enabled technologies/video-conferencing and on-ground Nurses, Community Health Workers (CHWs), and Community Midwives (CMWs). doctHERs™ circumvents socio-cultural barriers that restrict women to their homes, while correcting two market failures: access to quality healthcare and inclusion in the professional workforce for unemployed, qualified female doctors. doctHERs trained, trusted female nurses/Community Health Workers (CHWs) or Community Midwives (CMWs) assist doctHERs™ in assessing patients at ‘point-of-care (PoC) using diagnostic tools which create a new ‘healthcare value chain’.

Muhammad Bilal Farooq Qureshi

President of Queb Technologies

Bilal is the President of Queb Technologies – a company that is developing physical retail (walk-in) customer management system pCRMtm. Its initial objective is to become the leader in Physical Customer Relationship Management services in the Pakistani Banking sector and then expand to the Middle East and further into North America and Far East markets within 3 years. Bilal has a background in Finance and Commodities trading.

Syed Rafi Hasan Abidi

Founder and CEO of Outdoor Advertising Assets

Rafi is the Founder and CEO of Outdoor Advertising Assets – a tech firm that focuses on using Big Data to transform the global outdoor advertising and retail industries. OAA technologies are already deployed in Pakistan and the UAE with work in progress in the ASEAN region, India, GCC, Sri Lanka, and Egypt. Rafa is a widely experienced serial entrepreneur with over 22 years of experience in the advertising and media industry in Pakistan. He brings with him a high level of creative input both in concept design and execution.