Who We Are
Green Deshis, a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization, provides a source in the Bengali community for culturally motivated commitment to sustainable living. We will engage our future environmental champions by using relatable information about food and water which can impact daily lives. Our goal is to build knowledge by using relevant data, facts, stories, and experiences from eco-friendly institutions, groups, and individuals. We will collaborate with Bangladeshi environmental and agricultural agencies to further research on sustainable development and management of natural resources. Scholarships will be given to inspired students to work with environmental advocates, educators, community and corporate leaders in Bangladesh.
Board Members
Zain Khan
Founder
Zain Khan is an environmentally conscious undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania who hopes to pursue an innovative career in developing a more sustainable earth. His passion grew while working on The Roots Farm at McDonogh School. Learning about our food system made him realize that all of us have to change the way we approach our daily lives. During this same time period, Zain’s cultural connection to Bangladesh deepened while he worked with Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed to publish Towards A Sonar Bangla, a book about the birth of the nation. He also had the wonderful opportunity to meet Mr. Muqeed Majumdar (Babu), Chairman of Prokriti O Jibon Foundation and learn about the extensive ongoing work they have been doing to create environmental awareness in Bangladesh. Zain’s goal is to create a collaborative relationship among eco-conscious Bengalis living across the world with environmental organizations in Bangladesh.
Zahra khan
Cofounder
Zahra Khan is a senior at Bryn Mawr College and a passionate advocate for the environment. She has been focused on building a platform upon which she can share her enthusiam for environmental stewardship. What better way than starting an organization with her brother who shares similar experiences and interests. She is currently majoring in Political Science and planning on pursuing postgraduate studies in Environmental Policy.
Roxana Muzzammel
Fundraising Coordinator
Roxana Muzzammel is the founder & CEO of Grassroots-Fund Company. The Grassroots-Fund Platform solution is the only automated grassroots fundraising solution to raise donations via multiple communications channels. Roxana Muzzammel comes from a background in event planning and fundraising for nonprofits and holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Northeastern University. Roxana’s philanthropic involvement includes the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Girls Health Ed. She has served on the Leadership Committee for the National Capital Area (NCA) Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) since 2013. Roxana understands how to fundraise effectively via successful and proven grassroots fundraising outreach methods from her experience surpassing monetary goals for organizations. Coupled with her tech knowledge from over 10+ years in the technology sector, Roxana possesses the expertise which will lead Green Deshis to become an effective nonprofit organization.
Sabrina Baset
Legal Counsel
After growing up in Baltimore, MD, Sabrina Khan earned her B.A. from Georgetown University in Government with minors in English and Sociology. Upon graduating she became an educator with Teach For America in New York City. The inequities she witnessed inspired her to push for systemic reforms and to eventually attend law school. She earned her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. Since then Sabrina has advocated a wide array of civil and human rights issues at various non-profit organizations in New York City, Chicago and Washington, DC. Sabrina is currently a senior attorney at Advancement Project, a national civil rights organization, where she specializes in voting rights and educational justice. She looks forward to working with Green Deshis and spreading our message of environmental awareness.
Dr. Quamrun Nahar
Green Deshis Director of Operations in Bangladesh
Dr. Quamrun Nahar is the Head Director of the Initiative for Climate and Health at icddr,b. She is a Social Scientist with more than 25 years of experience in conducting health and population research. She is also the Acting Director of the Centre for Population, Urbanization and Climate Change (CPUCC), of icddr,b. She joined icddr,b in 1991 and since then worked extensively in the fields of adolescent health, maternal health, and health systems research especially in improving health services for adolescents in Bangladesh. She has obtained her medical degree from Dhaka University, Bangladesh. She has a Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Health Care and Master of Medical Science Degree from the University of Western Australia. She has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Hawaii, USA. She has received a number of fellowships and awards, namely, Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) fellowship in Population and Reproductive Health, Population Reference Bureau (PRB) Fellowship for Population Policy Program, East West Center Degree Fellowship, Gates Award, Australian Development Aid (AusAID) Fellowship and Dr. John W. Sellors’ In Memoriam Award. She has published more than 40 research articles and reports based on her work. She will help Green Deshis coordinate our organizational efforts in Bangladesh.
Dr. Nahid Kamal
Green Deshis Director of Operations in Europe
With over twelve years of professional experience with international organizations like the Population Council, Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), Marie Stopes International, and International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Nahid Kamal currently provides research and analysis in the emerging areas of International Development and Global Health. She was involved in the evaluation of USAID-funded Smiling Sun Franchise Program in Bangladesh – the largest social franchise in the world. Her vast experience in design, implementation and analysis of national population surveys will help provide structure to our growth. Nahid has published extensively on topics ranging from family planning, equity in healthcare, non-communicable diseases and child marriage. Nahid holds a MSc and PhD in Demography from the London School of Economics and CPD certificates in Epidemiology and Impact Evaluation from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She currently resides in London and will advance the mission of Green Deshis in Europe.
Shadia Walsh
Director of Communications
Shadia moved from Switzerland to the US to pursue a BS in Multimedia Design and Technology at American University. Since, she has worked at companies such as AOL, HP and Samsung, and is currently working as a User Experience designer at Google. In her free time Shadia does volunteer work in her local community, raising funds for her neighborhood playground. She also helps organize park cleanup days that take place one a month, where the community gets together and cleans and revamps green space in her neighborhood. Shadia is constantly trying to raise awareness about the ills of single use plastic and living in San Francisco has also made her greener than ever!