We are a community of advocates
We are a team of dreamers, hoping to change the world through equitable access to healthcare and education for the world's most vulnerable.
Uzma Bawany
Director
For Uzma, no challenge is too big and no need too small, her goal is to ensure our adopted communities can break the chains of generational poverty. She founded Thaakat Foundation in 2007 with hopes that she could encourage students and young professionals to consider their ability to make an impact for those in need around the world.
Uzma Bawany graduated from DePaul University with a Bachelor’s in Marketing and from Lewis University with an MBA. Apart from Thaakat, she works full time as Head of US Customer Experience at Zoetis.
NUDRAT ZOHA
Officer
Nudrat Zoha received her Master’s in Journalism from Depaul University and is currently pursuing a full-time career in Digital Strategy. She joined Thaakat in 2010 while doing her undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She started as a Social Media Manager for Thaakat and in 2014, she took on the role of Director of Global projects, working with her team and project managers around the world to help address community needs and how Thaakat can help. Currently, Nudrat is the Chief Operating Officer for Thaakat Foundation and oversees many different tasks and responsibilities that help Thaakat continue it’s mission, with the help of our supporters.
Haseeb Baig
Officer
Haseeb Baig brings nearly 15 years of extensive experience in accounting and finance to his role as Chief Financial Officer of Thaakat Foundation. Over the course of his career, Haseeb has worked with organizations of various sizes, ranging from small entities to large multinational corporations. His expertise includes core month-end accounting, preparing and reviewing quarterly and annual public filings, collaborating closely with public accountants on audits and review engagements, and financial forecasting.
Currently, Haseeb serves as the head of accounting and finance for a real estate investment fund at Heitman, where he oversees all accounting, reporting, and financial operations. Haseeb is a licensed CPA and received an MBA from DePaul University with a focus in strategy and decision making.
Haseeb’s financial acumen and strategic insights will help the foundation strengthen its infrastructure, expand its initiatives, and maximize its ability to inspire and empower communities around the world.
Priyanka Patel
Officer
Priyanka graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Chemistry and Psychology. She is currently a a medical student at St. George’s University. On her first day of undergrad, she was introduced to Thaakat Foundation and immediately fell in love with the mission of empowering and inspiring charitable work. Thaakat was different in the sense that she felt connected to the people and the community through the Facebook, Instagram, and GroupMe posts. If her team fundraised $300 from a Crepe Sale, she knew that it was going towards something like creating public bathrooms for the community members in Sierra Leone. Since working with Healthcare Without Borders in Sierra Leone, she has realized her passion for maternal and child health. “I hope that as a Family Medicine physician, I can work to combat the rising maternal and child mortality rate by providing individuals with the access and education they need to take control of their health.”
Saad Bawany
Advocacy Officer
Saad Bawany received a Master’s degree in School Finance from Northern Illinois University and obtained his CSBO endorsement. He also has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Since the beginning of his career, he has always been tied to the business side of the Education sector. He went from auditing school districts to working as an Administrator for one; and now works for a software company that assists the public sector in all their financing needs. He developed a passion for helping the less fortunate get a fair opportunity with education and grow their communities. He has been volunteering with Thaakat since its inception, however, he accepted a more defining role when the annual basketball tournament became the staple fundraiser in 2010. Today, Saad manages the start to finish leadership and planning of our annual Feed the Need Basketball Tournament in Chicago, IL.
MOHSIN HUSSAIN
Officer
Mohsin is a New York born Pakistani American who graduated from Florida State University and University of Central Florida with a B.S.B.A. in Management Information Systems and minor in Finance. His educational background and collegiate networking enabled him to start and help companies break plateaus to reach new levels of success. With over 15 years of experience focused in the marketing, advertising, web design, and graphic design space – Mohsin has not only helped multiple globally recognized brands reach exponential growth, he is a serial entrepreneur with multiple businesses of his own.
Aside from his professional life, Mohsin is very passionate about volunteer work and giving back to communities that need it the most. Upon returning to Karachi, Pakistan after 23 years, he was able to visit the Idara Al-Khair DREAM campuses and witness the operations first-hand. It was in that moment he realized Thaakat has become the driving force behind movements which are the catalysts to changing the trajectory of entire generations of poverty. Shortly after his return, he joined our board as Marketing Director with many visions and goals to change lives with the Thaakat family.
Puneet Soni
Lead
Puneet is a MBA graduate from Roosevelt University where he focused on Public Admin and Policy and received a Bachelor’s from University of Illinois where he studied health science. Puneet has been involved in leading a medical brigade overseas to help the people of Panama and has led youth Tedx talks to help push the path for education and health in third-world countries. He is passionate about helping build new schools and provide medical help to those in need. Puneet crossed paths with Thaakat while joining the team for the annual charity basketball tournament and wanted to make a real impact helping. Currently, Puneet supports special projects on global sites and serves as one of the leads on the basketball tournament.
Sufyan Barkat
(Matches & Grants)
Sufyan is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago and received a BS in Physics and BS in Bio-Chemistry. Though technology is his expertise, he felt compelled to be involved somewhere where he could lend his care, services, and time to improve the world. He’s in charge of helping us to grow our existing donor base so that we can support our growing projects and develop a sustainable plan for the future.
Outside of Thaakat, Sufyan works as a Systems Engineer at Cisco Systems. He uses technology to help customers transform their business and to help them achieve aggressive business goals.
Uzma Aijaz
Officer
Uzma Aijaz received a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Florida and currently works as a Senior Director at Farmers Insurance. We are Farmers. Dum da dum, dum dum dum dum!
Uzma was born in Karachi, Pakistan and has always taken a keen interest in working with various organizations including Thaakat to serve the underprivileged areas in Pakistan. Uzma is excited to join the Thaakat Board as the Donor Communications Officer and strengthen our relationship with our donors by connecting with them early and often. She can’t wait to put her people skills to work!
Aqsa Bawany
Lead
Aqsa is a part of our Sponsorship and Events team. Aqsa started her journey with Thaakat when it was first established, working for many years as a volunteer and then as her campus chapter’s founder and president. She knew she wanted to take on a board role because Thaakat had always been a part of who she was. Aqsa also enjoys mentoring and advising incoming chapter leads and volunteers.
Professionally, Aqsa works as a behavioral therapist with Autistic children.
Amani Memon
(Donations)
Amani Memon received a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry and completed her Doctorate of Pharmacy. Amani became involved in Thaakat because she felt it embodied everything she believed in; kindness towards others, compassionate giving, and helping those who are unable under various circumstances. For her, Thaakat is the first of many steps towards being the change she wants to see in the world. Today, Amani has built a network and relationships which have helped our DREAMS for Kachra Kundi school grow and thrive in the face of challenge.
Aysha Qamar
Lead
Aysha Qamar received her Master’s in Political Science: Global Policy and Sustainable Development from Rutgers University. She is a writer, poet, and advocate based in the tri-state area. While Aysha’s work can be found in various publications, she is a full-time trending news and politics writer for Daily Kos. Common themes in her work include advocating for immigration reform, gender parity, language access, and cultural competency. She also has extensive experience working with state officials and grassroots organizations on addressing issues of violence against women and language access. Aysha is a part of the Social Media Team and currently serves as a Content Curator. She is a strong advocate for gender equality and education and reflects that passion in her work with Thaakat Foundation.
Ariel Vincent Bajo
Hey there, I’m Ariel Vincent Bajo, 31 years old from Davao City, Philippines.
When I was 20, I was still hustling through my Mass Communication degree. With bills to pay and dreams to chase, I dove into the corporate world as a customer service rep. Balancing work and studies wasn’t easy, but I tackled it head-on, fueled by a hunger to succeed and a knack for connecting with people.
Before long, I found myself climbing the ranks, from a Subject Matter Expert to an Operations Supervisor. Leading teams, solving problems, and making things happen—that’s where I thrived. And let me tell you, those six years were a whirlwind of learning, growing, and celebrating victories big and small.
But amidst the hustle of the nine-to-five, there’s been one constant source of joy and inspiration: my family. Faith, my beautiful and amazing wife, has been my queen and rock. And then there’s Morgan, our little man who’s turning 4 this March. He was born a few days before the COVID-19 lockdown — a true blessing and a reminder of what really matters in life.
Reflecting on the journey, I’m grateful for every twist, turn, and challenge that came my way. Each one has shaped me, and each triumph has fueled my drive to keep pushing forward.
Upesh Desai
Lead
Upesh graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. He currently works as a Software Developer for ITRS Group. Upesh joined Thaakat Foundation as a volunteer post-grad and became involved with the organization after volunteering at the annual Feed the Need Basketball Tournament. He felt the passion and selflessness that all the members had for helping out those in need, and wanted to be a part of a team like that. From there, he has been helping out with other technical projects such as automating CRM practices and organizing finances for the organization.
Fun Fact: Upesh loves to golf!
