Umaimah Mendhro

Originally from Akri, Pakistan, Umaimah co-founded thedreamfly.org, to give the children of her village the will to dream and question the inherited assumptions of hate and hopelessness and her friends in the US the ability to see the Pakistan she calls home. “When we reach out to the unknown enemy, we realize, at a raw human level, we have more in common than our conflict.” Umaimah works at Microsoft Corp. and has experience with McKinsey & Co. and Endeavor. She has an MBA from Harvard Business School where she was a Baker Scholar and a BSc in Human Development from Cornell University.

Scott Spencer

Scott, a consultant and entrepreneur by background, has been actively involved in philanthropy throughout his life. A Cornell University and Harvard Business School alum, he is extremely passionate about the dreamfly mission, “I get goosebumps thinking about the positive impact that lies ahead of us.” Scott currently resides in Santa Monica, California, and keeps active by cycling, golfing, and traveling to remote parts of the world.

Varun Bhartia

Born in India, Varun has spent the majority of his life in the U.S. On his many visits to India, Varun has seen first-hand the impact of technology and the power it can have to improve people’s lives. “I am passionate about using technology to educate, mentor, and connect people across the world.” Varun works at Microsoft as a Program Manager and resides in Seattle, WA.

Amy Flikerski

Raised in Toronto, Canada, Amy has studied and worked across the United States with extensive global travel throughout. She works at investment firm Talpion Fund Management LP in New York City and has significant experience in the asset management industry. Amy received her MBA from Harvard Business School and earned an AB in Economics from Brown University. “Committed to education and a firm believer in the opportunities it creates, I am thrilled to be advancing the goals of dreamfly and working alongside this dedicated group.”

Nazeema Alli

Nazeema was born and raised in NY but keeps close ties to her roots in Guyana, South America. Witnessing extreme poverty and the hopelessness of nonexistent economic mobility helped her appreciate the power of education from a young age. “I won the ovarian lottery and always felt a responsibility to create a road out for those who would otherwise have no options.” She received her bachelor’s in business from the University of Michigan, has worked in strategy and product management at Microsoft, and is completing a master’s of education at Harvard.

Nicole Peterson

Nicole Peterson has been a Seattleite most of her life and studied film direction and American literature at the Evergreen State College. “I feel honored to participate in dreamfly’s work to better the lives of women and children around the world – this is what life’s all about!”

Cameron Preston

Cameron was introduced to The dreamfly by developing the open-source slideshow used on the site. Once reading about the organization he knew he needed to be a part of it. Luckily being in Seattle and expressing his interest weeks before the kick off meeting he has become a solid member of the team on the technology side.“All of humanity has a common goal of existing, dreamfly is helping people coexist in places with the most need.” Cameron has a goal of utilizing technology to make big differences in the world. He lives in Seattle.

Jay Nargundkar

Jay discovered dreamfly while researching NGOs working in Afghanistan and immediately wanted to get involved. He says “dreamfly inspires me to the possibility of having an outsized, transformative impact at doing good”. Jay studied finance at the University of Maryland and now works as a management consultant for Deloitte. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Fiza Asar

Born and brought up in Karachi, Pakistan, Fiza has lived, studied, and worked in San Francisco, Pakistan, and the UK. She loves to write and is a regular contributor to various citizen journalism sites and online magazines and maintains several blogs. “It is my dream to see the world bridge together that brought me close to dreamfly!” Fiza lives in the UK.

Amena Wardak

An Afghan-American, Amena moved to the US with her family more than two decades ago, and on a recent trip to Afghanistan, discovered a genuine, collective effort in Afghanistan to create a sustainable society for themselves. “I decided to join efforts to help the Afghans gain access to better educational opportunities.”Amena is a graduate from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s in Public Health.

Rwitwika Bhattacharya

Rwitwika is originally from India and has completed her higher education from the United States. Consequently, she seen need in developing countries and the commitment of others to fulfill those needs. “dreamfly is the place where supply and demand meet: you recognize the need to demand/need of women and children around the world, and you ‘supply’ what you can to fulfill those needs.” Rwitwika is a Kennedy School graduate and is currently working for the World Bank.

Mona Akmal

Mona believes that the life she gets to live today had very little to do with luck and a lot to do with the opportunities her mother made available for her by investing 100% in her education and encouraging independent thought. “dreamfly is my chance to provide similar opportunities to those who are most eager to avail them.” Mona is a Senior Lead Program Manager at Microsoft and lives in the Puget Sound area. Mona has a BSc in Computer Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan.