Yasmeen Mozawalla
Yasmeen Mozawalla joined Turning Point’s Board in February 2023. Prior to this, for several years, Yasmeen served as the president of the Women’s Wing of the Memon Association of North America (MANA). As president, Yasmeen engaged in the empowerment of women and children, and frequently helped with mental health and domestic violence issues.
Yasmeen has also been an active volunteer with charitable organizations helping with doing food and clothing drives on Long Island and in upstate New York. Yasmeen also led the collection in Long Island for the Muslim Soup Kitchen Project ( MSK) based in Albany, NY to assist with the resettlement of Afghan refugee families. She is currently serving as chair of the Women’s Wing of the World Memon Organization (WMO) of US / Canada. As the chair, she attends conferences all over the world and has been honored and awarded for all of her efforts and community service. Yasmeen also organizes and runs “Marrymuslims”, an organization that helps young Muslims to connect.
Yasmeen Mozawalla is a graduate of Catholic medical center and worked there for several years. She is the mother of four grown up children and a grandmother of eighteen, with a passion for serving humanity and gardening.
Moumita Zaman
Moumita Zaman joined Turning Point’s Board in February 2022 and brings nearly fifteen years of work experience in health, education, and economic empowerment to promote social justice in New York City’s immigrant communities. She currently works at the New York City Department of Education as District Planner and Associate Director at the Office of District Planning. Her work entails the development of strategic plans to address needs and priorities of schools and school districts through research, assessment, and engagement with community stakeholders.
Moumita previously served as the Director of Curriculum and Strategic Engagement at the New York City Commission on Human Rights where she also At the Commission, she spearheaded the Commission’s youth services and launched the innovative Youth for Equity and Solidarity (YES) Initiative. She has extensive experience working with NYC’s Muslim and South Asian communities. Prior to joining the NYC Commission on Human Rights, Moumita she served as the Director of Outreach and Advocacy at Sapna NYC, a Bronx based community organization and served on the board of Women in Islam, Inc., a non-profit that empowers Muslim women as advocates for human rights and social justice. Moumita is also a founding member and Treasurer of the inaugural Executive Committee of Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress (BAPP). Moumita has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Queens College, City University of New York and a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University.
Sumer Khan
Sumer Khan joined Turning Point’s board in June of 2023. Since 2005, Sumer has been working as a Licensed Physician Associate at Mather Memorial Hospital/Northwell Health. Sumer has also made a significant impact on her community through her philanthropic work. She founded Project Niyyah in 2014 through which Sumer organizes back-to-school drives, ensuring underprivileged children have the necessary supplies for a successful academic year. She also runs yearly Eid toy drives and wrapping events, providing gifts to orphans, refugees and domestic violence survivors during the holidays. She also regularly collects winter essentials for families facing financial difficulties.
Sumer’s dedication has left a lasting impact on her community. Project Niyyah has become a symbol of hope, empowering orphans, underprivileged children, refugees, and domestic violence survivors to thrive.
Sumer is also on the advisory board of HMCG, a management and consulting firm to hospitals and health systems throughout the US and abroad.
As a mother of five children, she balances her personal and professional life with her passion for helping others. Sumer’s journey exemplifies the power of empathy and service, leaving a legacy of compassion and positive change.
Robina Niaz
Robina Niaz is the founder and Executive Director of Turning Point for Women and Families. She is a social worker, women’s rights advocate, and a civil rights activist. She currently serves on the Board of the Muslim Consultative Network and the Hartley Film Foundation. She is also a former Board member with Sakhi for South Asian Women, Coalition of Battered Women’s Advocates and Queens Women’s Network and an Advisory Board member with the Interfaith Council of New York. Born and raised in Pakistan, Robina has an M.S in Applied Psychology (Pakistan) and an MSW from Hunter College, New York. She is a 2007 CORO Immigrant Leadership Fellow and a 2005 Open Society Institute/RCLA Social Justice Fellow. Robina speaks Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, and Hindi.
Sana Tirmizi
Sana joined the board of Turning Point for Women and Families in June 2023.
Born in the Middle East and raised in India before migrating to the United States, Sana possesses a unique and diverse background that greatly aids her in connecting with her community. She pursued a degree in sociology at Queens College and, during her college years, founded “Serving Human Foundation,” her first community-based organization. Additionally, Sana’s career path in management has further enhanced her repertoire of organizational and interpersonal skills.
Sana’s dedication to community service is evident through her volunteer work with local organizations, particularly those involved in mental health support. She has actively organized fundraisers to advocate for various causes and has also served on the board of Community Growth Center—a Long Island-based non-profit organization offering free mental health services. Notably, Sana’s remarkable success lies in her endeavors to organize interfaith events and fundraisers at the Community Growth Center.
Furthermore, Sana serves as an avid advocate for mental health, particularly focusing on the well-being of South Asian women. Due to her extraordinary efforts in leading women’s empowerment initiatives, Sana has been duly recognized by the state of New York for her exceptional contributions.
Sarwat Jafri
Sarwat Jafri joined Turning Point’s board in April 2024. With her professional experience as a commodity accountant and her passion for community service and advocacy, she brings a unique blend of expertise to the board.
She has over 17 years of experience in financial accounting for international commodity trading corporations, specializing in the accounting of high-volume trades. Her expertise encompasses strategic risk assessment, advanced hedge accounting, and the integration of robust financial controls to safeguard assets and optimize capital efficiency.
In 2018, Sarwat founded a pioneering initiative, Ummah Giving Circle (UGC), a Muslim Women’s Giving Circle, through which she has spearheaded numerous projects and initiatives focused on community support and empowerment of Muslim women and families. With UGC, Sarwat remains actively involved in various community service initiatives, leveraging skills and resources to uplift those in need. Whether it’s
volunteering at local shelters, organizing fundraising events, or mentoring youth, she is dedicated to making a meaningful impact and building a more inclusive society.