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Executive Team
Dr. Sarah Alam - Founder
Dr. Sarah Alam is a Pakistani-born Canadian citizen; she holds a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from Pakistan and is acquiring a Doctor of Education from the University of Toronto in Social Justice Education. As a researcher, she has published several publications focusing on South Asian Affairs to her credit. As a professional, she is a public diplomacy expert, academic, and strategist for International and Higher Education Development.
She is a grants guru and a certified professional development trainer with several years of experience working on the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs projects with the U.S. Department of State (DOS). In addition, she has 15 + years of experience working in the international development sector of South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and North America.
Sarah has worked extensively on international education projects for organizations like the British Council, International Education and Resource Network (iEARN), and Special Olympics. She is a recipient of several meritorious awards and scholarships, and from an early age, she has internationally represented Muslim Women worldwide. She started her journey as an ardent advocate for interfaith harmony as a highschooler right after September 11; she spoke in 2002 as a keynote speaker at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, at the National Education Computing Center (NECC) to promote bilateral ties between Muslims and the people of United States.
As a Higher Education expert, she has worked with various American universities in developing linkages with Pakistani universities. The fruits of these partnerships are reaped by several hundred students and faculty members from both countries. In addition, as a former Public Diplomacy Specialist working for the U.S. Mission in Pakistan for nearly a decade, her work in fostering people-to-people ties is recognized and applauded by her peers globally.
She has a deep-rooted interest in cultural preservation work, which bore fruits while working with the U.S. Mission on Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. To her credit, she has extensively worked with experts on conserving Sultan Ibrahim’s tomb in Asia’s largest necropolis, the world heritage site of Makli, and the only Varun Dev Temple in South Asia. Her support for cultural preservation work in Pakistan is well regarded among archeologists and heritage experts.
Hamza Lakhani - Managing Director
Hamza Lakhani is an Educational and Cultural expert residing in United States of America. He has worked with the U.S. Department of State on numerous international development projects in South Asia. In addition, Lakhani worked for the U.S. Mission in Pakistan from 2006 – 2022. He served as the U.S. Educational Adviser, Exchanges and Alumni adviser and Grants Adviser, Special Events Organizer, and Media and Alumni Outreach Strategist. He has also worked to counter violent extremism and interfaith harmony in the South Asian region. Hamza has 15+ years of experience in educational diplomacy, conceptualizing and implementing high-level projects, and grants management. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Social Sciences.
Adnan Siddiqui – Director of Education Development
Adnan Siddiqui is a Pharmacist and an Educationist with over 25 years of experience in the field of education and health management. He was a college owner in the United Kingdom for nearly a decade. In addition, he provided educational services to students in the U.K. He has contributed to International Education Advancement in South Asia for several years. Besides having an extensive education and student services background, he holds an MBA and is currently running a healthcare business in Ontario.
Muhammad Irfan – Director of Media & Public Relations
Muhammad Irfan is a seasoned journalist with over 15 years of experience working as an investigative journalist on political and educational affairs in South Asia. He has covered numerous stories in the war on terror and disaster-affected areas of Pakistan. In addition, Irfan has relevant knowledge and experience in Mass Communications and extensive media and public relations expertise. He has worked with several prominent media outlets in Pakistan and currently serves as the International Correspondent for Bol TV Network. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Pakistan and a Masters of Education degree in Social Justice from the University of Toronto; he also is a participant of the International Visitors Leadership Program held in the USA funded by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
Rohit Mehta – Director Migration Services
Rohit is an Indian-born Canadian citizen who provides migration consultancy to aspiring immigrants. As a certified and regulated Canadian Immigration consultant, Rohit has joined NAASAA to support the South Asian community by providing educational and migration services. In addition, Rohit at NAASAA will be involved in creating awareness about the various processes involved in migration. As NAASAA aims to promote knowledge sharing, Rohit brings a wealth of expertise in migration services. Through NAASAA, Rohit will conduct information sessions for the global South Asian community.
Azadi Fateh – Director of External Relations
Aazadi Fateh Muhammad is a doctoral student at EW Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. Previously she was teaching as an Assistant Professor at the department of Mass Communication, Federal Urdu University for Arts Sciences & Technology Karachi for more than twelve years since April, 2010. She was associated with PTV Karachi for ten years since 2004 as a compare and host for live and recorded programs on cultural and social topics in Urdu and Sindhi, she participated as discussant in more than hundred talk shows on mainstream Urdu, and Sindhi television channels in Pakistan. She participated as a discussant in over a hundred talk shows on mainstream Urdu and Sindhi television channels in Pakistan. She has several research papers published in recognized journals and some feature articles published in leading national English, Urdu, and Sindhi newspapers.
Zian (Kelly) Zhang – Director of Student Engagement
Zian (Kelly) Zhang is a Full-time Ph.D. student in the curriculum and pedagogy program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, and the first OISE student as a classical voice musician at the Faculty of Music. Her research focuses on governance, curriculum policy, and leadership. As a SSHRC graduate research assistant, she creates equitable structures in early secondary school mathematics projects and is a researcher at Encore Lab. She is Co-President at the Canadian Committee of Graduate Students in Education of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education. In addition, she serves as CTL Students’ Association President and Graduate Student Member at OISE Council & Research Committee.
Munirul Islam – Director of Strategic Development
Munirul’s current life is that of an entrepreneur & facilitative consultant, founded Take a Break – a wellness and teambuilding service provider to organizations, ClickHealth Services and Pingu’s English Bangladesh. Previously co-founded Testing Ground in Southeast Asia and Noor Studio in Singapore. Munirul has over 18 years of diverse experience having worked both in development and corporate sectors. Munirul holds an M.A. in Digital Management from Hyper Island Singapore and is a U.S. Scholar of American Studies Institute from Washington College, Maryland, USA.
Dr. Meng Xiao – Director of Environmental Development
Dr. Meng Xiao holds an Ed.D. and M.Ed. degree in Social Justice Education. The Ed.D. focused on a collaborative specialization in Comparative, International and Development Education and the M.Ed. on a joint specialization in Environmental Studies at the University of Toronto. Worked as a researcher in the Canada-China Partnership Grant Project, Dr. Xiao explored the interactions between teachers in Canada and China as they learned about each other. The diverse coursework in her doctoral program and the preliminary research for her study have provided her with a substantial level of interdisciplinary familiarity with cross-cultural understanding of Chinese and Canadian education. Dr. Xiao argues, “Engagement means academically, socially, and professionally engaging as an enthusiastic educator, female-identified researcher, engagement consultant, life coach, multitask mom, and a whole person and contributing to my communities based on my cultural experience and intersectional identities.”
Justin Patrick – Partner Global Student Government
Justin Patrick pursues a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on student government and student leadership. He serves as the founding President of the Global Student Government, which represents millions of students across all inhabited continents and advocates for their interests at international levels. From 2020-2022, he served as the first Canadian to be elected President of the International Association for Political Science Students, which represents an estimated 200,000 students in political science and related fields worldwide. At the University of Toronto, he serves as 2022-2023 Chair of the Council on Student Services and has served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the University of Toronto Students’ Union. His publications have appeared in journals such as Higher Education, Educational Review, Research in Educational Administration and Leadership, and World Medical and Health Policy, among others.
