Our Staff
Fiza Shah is DIL’s Chief Executive Officer. Fiza was born in Quetta, Pakistan, moving to the United States in 1980. Educated in Pakistan, England, and the United States, she initially worked in healthcare administration as manager of the Lakewood Medical Group. In 1997, Fiza founded Developments in Literacy (DIL). Under her leadership, the organization has successfully established hundreds of schools, educating tens of thousands of children across Pakistan’s four provinces. Fiza is committed to equipping students and teachers with an education that gives primacy to academic competencies and life skills. Fiza may be reached at office@dil.org.
Hashmat Saeed is DIL’s Chief Financial Officer. Involved with DIL since the organization’s earliest days, Hashmat also serves on the Executive Board. She oversees DIL’s finances and works with the Benefit Committees to manage fundraising. Outside of DIL, Hashmat volunteers with the Assistance League of Long Beach, a philanthropic organization dedicated to serving the underprivileged as well as victims of abuse in Long Beach, California. Hashmat may be reached at office@dil.org.
Brenda Erlinger is DIL’s Director of Program Development, a role that entails leading research and development. Impelled by a strong belief in human potential, Brenda works with the team in Pakistan to innovate, capture learnings, and scale initiatives that effectively enhance quality of education. She also sets the strategic vision for DIL school libraries. Brenda may be reached at brenda@dil.org.
Annie Field is DIL’s Director of Curriculum Design. Having earned a Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Annie specializes in international education policy. She leads a team of content developers to furnish comprehensive packages of localized materials to support authentic learning, regularly traveling to Pakistan to conduct teacher training, monitor educational progress, and implement new curricular initiatives. Annie may be reached at annie@dil.org.
Mustafa Naqvi is DIL’s Associate Director of Development. Upon graduating from the California State University of Fullerton with a degree in Business Economics, Mustafa worked in various countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, taking time to explore a variety of fields, including aviation and technology. Having traveled to many countries in one of his previous jobs, he recalls the injustices and disparities in wealth around the world as some of the reasons why he has chosen to work in the nonprofit sector. Mustafa may be reached at mustafa@dil.org.
Sana Tanveer leads DIL’s Finance & Operations. Sana did her MBA with a major in finance and holds an active tax prepare license in the state of California, both of which prepared her to work as an accountant for over ten years. She is passionate about giving back and has served as a volunteer for different nonprofit organizations and school districts, led by her belief that a girl’s education has the power not only to transform individuals, but entire communities. Sana may be reached at sana@dil.org.