Our Leadership
DIL operates under the auspices of a US-based Board of Directors and a Pakistan-based Board of Trustees. DIL was granted tax-exempt status 501(c)(3) by the IRS in February 2000. DIL has attained the coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. This is Charity Navigator’s highest possible rating and indicates that DIL adheres to industry best practices and the execution of our mission in a financially efficient manner.
Patron
Dr. Maleeha Lodhi is a journalist, an academic and a diplomat from Pakistan. Until recently, she was the High Commissioner of Pakistan to the United Kingdom, and a former Ambassador to the United States. She is currently a Fellow at the Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She has also been a member of the United Nations Secretary-General Advisory Board on Disarmament.
Advisory Board
Sara Abbasi
Aamer Abdullah
Nasser A. Ahmad
Najeeb Ghauri
Henna Inam
Amjad Ali Khan
Ikram U. Khan MD
Shoaib Kothawala
Board of Directors
The DIL Board of Directors develops strategic goals and program initiatives; reviews and approves annual plans and budgets; assists in expanding outreach, visibility, and donor support; and monitors the progress of the organization.
Fiza Shah, Founder & CEO
Fiza Shah is the Founder & CEO of Developments in Literacy (DIL). In 1997, Fiza founded Developments in Literacy to provide quality education to underprivileged Pakistani children. She led the organization successfully establishing hundreds of schools and educating tens of thousands of underserved children, particularly girls, throughout Pakistan’s four provinces.
Muhammad Shahzad, Chairperson
Muhammad is currently the Chief Financial Officer at The Honest Company. Previously, he founded his own company also worked at Accenture and Deutsche Bank. Muhammad holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BSc in Economics, graduating cum laude from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Aneeqa Akhtar
Aneeqa has been the President of the Las Vegas chapter since 2015. Prior to that, she was the Secretary of the chapter for four years. Since the start of the chapter in 2011, she has been part of a core dedicated team that has been responsible for the growth of DIL Las Vegas. Aneeqa firmly believes in the power of education to emancipate the disenfranchised, especially the women of Pakistan fracturing the societal taboos that block their path to the classroom.
Malika Junaid
In addition to shepherding DIL, Malika is devoted to supporting many charities focussed on educating youth, particularly young girls in developing countries. Passionately involved in promoting entrepreneurship and business leadership, Malika is a Board and Charter Member of the Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America (OPEN), a member of Women Entrepreneur (WE) Los Altos, and a member of Business Network International (BNI).
Wajid Mirza
Wajid is a seasoned management and information technology consultant with over 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies in the utilities, oil, telecommunications, automotives, and consumer goods industries. His leadership qualities have been substantiated by a solid track record of managing large, complex projects.
Shaila Zamir
As President of DIL’s New York chapter for many years, Shaila has played a prominent role in planning some of the organization’s most important fundraising events, including DIL’s largest annual gala event held at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.
Adnan Zuberi
Adnan is a Managing Director and Co-head at BNP Paribas, a large international banking group. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Adnan has in previous years contributed greatly to the efflorescence of DIL’s New York chapter.