BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dr. Ali Ibrahim
Chairman of the Board
Dr. Ali Adnan Ibrahim is a Vice President at the Al Baraka Banking Group, the world’s largest Islamic banking network, in Bahrain where he specializes in Shariah-structuring and Islamic microfinance. Before joining Al Baraka, he was a Counsel at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie. Dr. Ibrahim has extensive experience in Islamic finance and international project development and finance. Dr. Ibrahim also serves as Co-Chair of Islamic Finance Committee of the American Bar Association.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Ibrahim received his doctorate in law (Doctor of Juridical Sciences—SJD) with distinction from the Georgetown University Law Center and LL.M. (Master of Laws) from the Washington University School of Law. Dr. Ibrahim earned his LL.B. Honors (Bachelors of Laws), Shariah and Law, from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Dr. Ibrahim is a member of the Bar in Pakistan and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Dr. Ibrahim has been published internationally on the areas of Islamic finance, comparative corporate governance and capital markets in the developing countries. Dr. Ibrahim has delivered presentations at a number of fora and conferences world-wide.
Mr. Mubashar Mizra
Treasurer
Mr. Mirza is a Fellow Chartered Accountant with fifteen years of total cumulative work experience. At present, he serves as Vice President of Strategic Planning and Investment at MCB Bank Limited, in Lahore, Pakistan. He also consults with the World Bank. Mr. Mirza has served private and public organizations in areas of assurance, risk management, investigations, merger, acquisitions, and investment/business/project analysis. He formulates policies and procedures covering operational guidelines for organizations including those pertaining to accounting, internal controls, investment, procurement, compensation management, and human resources. His work also includes finalizing the complete set of financial statements, tax planning/return, strategic future business plans with budgets, and cost reduction techniques. Mr. Mirza holds a Bachelor of Commerce (First Division) from the University of Punjab, in Lahore, Pakistan.
Shehrbano Taseer
Secretary
Ms. Taseer has her Bachelor’s degree from Smith College and is a freelance journalist based out of Lahore, Pakistan. Her articles appear in numerous publications and frequently in Newsweek. She is the daughter of the late Governor of Punjab. She is personally committed to helping the people of Pakistan help themselves by supporting education and economic opportunities for the poor. She is also a strong proponent of improved, long-term relations between the United States and Pakistan. She is also a great role model for the hundreds of young girls in MDF schools.
Sana Ali
Ms. Ali has her Bachelor’s degree from the City University of New York, where she studied Political Science. She is currently based in Washington D.C., where she serves as an aide to Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States. She is an advocate of programs that enable Pakistanis to better their quality of life and is a firm believer in the importance of education; she is particularly committed to opportunities for youth.
Wendy Groover
Wendy has a BS in Business/Marketing Education from Auburn University. She has over 18 years of experience in business development, advisory and Chairperson roles for not-for-profit organizations in South Carolina, Florida and Colorado. For the past seven years Wendy has advised Challenge Aspen (“CA”), an 18 year old nationally renowned disabilities program and its sister organization Challenge America, a program specific to the recreational and life ‘needs’ of disabled military veterans and their families. For the past four years Ms. Groover has also acted as Chairperson for the Annual Vince Gill / Amy Grant fund raising gala for both Challenge Aspen and Challenge America. Wendy continues as a year round advisor for key promotions, fund raising and growth opportunities. Wendy believes in the power of educating women in Pakistan to achieve a positive future. She believes academics and life skills are the best wepon for facilitating progress and growth .
Sacha Hinderberger
Sacha heads our marketing committee and efforts. She has lived and been an active volunteer for various initiatives in the Roaring Fork Valley for over a decade. She strongly believes in the importance of education and economic opportunities as a means to alleviate poverty and decrease conflict.
Dawnette Smith
An entrepreneur and socially conscious citizen, Dawnette has worked in the real estate and property management industry for 10 years. She was made partner of Stirling Homes which has recently merged with another local real estate company to form Stirling Peak. Dawnette has also explored development opportunities in growing markets, obtained approvals for a residential development and is currently planning a wastewater treatment facility in her home state of North Dakota. Dawnette enjoys giving back in her community and is committed to doing more on a global level. She sat on the board for Roaring Fork Habitat for Humanity for several years and is still involved in the family selection process to place families in homes. Dawnette is reliable, enjoys taking on challenges, and is very hard working. She will be joining MDF Founder, Silbi Stainton in Pakistan to see the organization’s activities on the ground in Spring of 2013.
