About Us
organization • people • mission • vision • values
Bilaal Ahmed
Bilaal is a co-founder of Impak and currently works as a product manager for an online publisher. He also co-founded and manages an "infomediary," a startup that provides information services to public and non-governmental organizations in the Washington DC area. His interest in Impak was built upon experiences in traveling and working abroad in various parts of the Middle East and, of course, Pakistan. Bilaal has a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and lives in the United States in Arlington, Virginia.
Ethan Casey
Ethan, author of the travel book Alive and Well in Pakistan(2004), first visited Pakistan as a journalist in 1995. He is working on a feature-length documentary film about the country's recent history. His commitment to Impak arises from a long-held belief in the importance of human connections across borders, especially between the West and the Muslim world. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and spent the 1990s covering Asia for North American and British publications, based in Bangkok. He currently works as a freelance editor and lives in Seattle.
Farah Mahesri
Farah is an Impak alum who traveled to the earthquake-affected Kashmir in 2006 to work in schools and help with the reconstruction effort. Her interest in Impak stems from that experience, as well as years of researching Pakistan, including writing a thesis on US-Pakistan relations, and her belief that dedicated people can make a difference in the world. Farah currently works at Chemonics International, an international development consulting firm, where she focuses on the Middle East. She has a M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of California at Berkeley and currently lives in Washington, D.C.
Founding Members
Sarah Karim
Sarah is currently pursuing PhD in an interdisciplinary program at Boston University. Prior, she managed corporate social responsibility (CSR) for a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) company while promoting LPG as a viable, alternative energy fuel in Pakistan. Sarah holds a BA in International Relations from Wellesley College, and has spent a year working at The Citizens Foundation - a non profit organization in the education sector - after moving to Karachi, Pakistan in January 2004. Following the October 2005 earthquake, Sarah co-founded Relief Shelter Drive, a grassroots initiative for providing shelter to earthquake victims. Her passion for Impak derives from wanting to create opportunities for individuals to make a difference in, and help in the development of, Pakistan.
Mustafa Hadi
Mustafa works as a strategy consultant based in London, having previously qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He has a bachelors degree in Physics from Cambridge University, and grew up in Pakistan and the UK, with a short spell in the UAE. His enthusiasm for Impak comes from a desire to connect the disparate cultures he grew up in. Mustafa has travelled extensively in the Middle East and South Asia, and after the October 8, 2005 earthquake, volunteered in Pakistan for a short while and subsequently worked with Sarah to channel volunteers to relief efforts in Pakistan. He devotes his spare time to photography.