WAW’s Board of Directors
Women for Afghan Women’s all-volunteer Board of Directors consists of dynamic and diverse individuals with diverse skills and talents. Visionaries in their own right, WAW’s Board is actively involved in governance, planning, outreach, and fundraising for the organization.
Board Stats
- Number of Board Members: 6
- Frequency of Board Meetings: 10 annually
- Average Meeting Attendance: 6
- Board Members Who Make Personal Gifts: 5
Board Goals:
- Executing a 2018-2022 strategic and expansion plan for the organization, developed in 2017;
- Fundraising for WAW’s expanded programming and growing impact;
- Strengthening WAW’s institutional structure and diversifying WAW’s donor base to secure the organization’s sustainability as it continues to expand.
Board Governance
WAW’s Board focuses on governance and fiduciary responsibilities, including fundraising for WAW’s programs and operations. All Board Members generously contribute to the organization financially and through in-kind professional services. For instance, one Board Member, who is a lawyer, offers pro bono legal advice. Another Board Member who is a Hollywood special events producer provides her company’s services gratis to produce WAW galas or other major events.
WAW’s Board has an audit committee led by the Treasurer, which reviews the organization’s annual independent audit and federal 990 tax return and state filings. The Board regularly reviews financial statements, and updates its by-laws, conflict of interest, non-discrimination, and whistleblower policies to ensure that they are up-to-date and actively employed.
It is clearly committed and actively engaged with the event committee, and establishes other committees, such as strategic planning or executive search, on an as-needed basis. It provides valuable advice and contacts for program partners and for fundraising efforts to the Executive Director, senior management, and the development team.
The Board also sees its role in selecting and assessing the performance of the organization’s Executive Director as a primary governance responsibility and works closely with the Executive Director. Finally, the Board and senior staff collaboratively lead the development of a strategic plan every three to five years, as well as regular assessments of progress on the plan’s implementation.
Women For Afghan Women Board Of Directors
President and CEO of Non Profit New York, Meg’s work is focused on leading the organization in implementing the organization’s strategic plan, facilitating cross-program collaboration, staffing the Board of Directors, and developing plans for new initiatives. Before joining Non Profit New York in June, 2020, Meg served in several leadership roles at Planned Parenthood New York for over nine years, including Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Chief of Staff, and Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to joining Planned Parenthood, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Brennan Center for Justice, a founding staff member of the Community Development Venture Capital Alliance, and a Skadden Fellow at the Lawyers Alliance for New York. She has spent over 17 years working in not-for-profit management, public interest law and community development, and currently serves as Board member and Treasurer of Women for Afghan Women. Meg is an attorney by profession and received her J.D. from NYU School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden Scholar, and a B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Leslie has actively participated in diplomatic life with her husband during U.S. Embassy postings in Afghanistan, Israel, Hong Kong. Italy, Sweden, the United Nations in New York, and at NATO in Brussels. Most recently, at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, she managed programs advancing women’s capacity for leadership and economic empowerment. Her previous work experience was in advertising, retail management, and teaching. She has a B.A. from Syracuse University and an M.B.A. from American University. Leslie became acquainted with the work of Women for Afghan Women during her time in Afghanistan, where she visited their shelters for abused women, as well as children’s and family facilities. After seeing first-hand how these centers and programs changed the lives of women and children by offering them a safe place to live, health assistance, education, and legal aid, she became an enthusiastic supporter of the valuable work of Women for Afghan Women.
Hurunnessa Fariad is the Director of Outreach for Multi-Faith Neighbor’s Network where she works to build mutual trust and respect among faith leaders through civic engagement, authentic relationships, and honest dialogue. Ms. Fariad also is intentional in making sure women’s voices are heard and amplified. Ms. Fariad serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors at Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Member of the Board of Directors of Lutheran Social Services National Capital Area, Member of the Fairfax County Faith and Equity Committee, and involved with many other faith-based organizations. Ms. Fariad is the founder & Music Director of America's first Mosque Youth Choir, The ADAMS BEAT Choir. Ms. Fariad is the founder and co-host of the Sister Act Podcast along with co-hosts Dr. Sabrina Dent and Rabbi Susan Shankman. Conversations centered around shame, stigma, rights and social justice issues and how our faiths address these topics. Ms. Fariad is a former child refugee from Afghanistan and currently resides in Sterling, Virginia with her 4 daughters.
Nawa Arsala Lodin is a corporate attorney with Goodwin Procter and an activist serving the Afghan-American community for more than 16 years. She previously worked for the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, DC, as well as several years for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions section. During her tenure as President of the George Washington University’s Afghan Student Association, Nawa organized several successful events for Afghanistan, including a walk-a-thon with Women for Afghan Women (WAW), a baby formula drive with the US-Afghan Women’s Council and a fundraising launch for the Smithsonian’s Turquoise Mountain exhibit. Nawa is passionate about supporting Afghan women and is proud to be on WAW's Board of Directors.
Teresa Merkle is an owner of Paradigm Shift Worldwide, Inc. and Production & Special Events Services, Inc., event marketing and production companies in Los Angeles, California. Her client base ranges from Fortune 500 companies, to major Hollywood studios, internet companies and charities/non-profit organizations. Prior to this work, Teresa began her career in theater as the venue manager for The Nederlander Organiation's Greek Theatre and Pantages Theatre. Returning to her roots, she recently co-founded Theatre for Humans, an arts and entertainment production company whose mission is "to give voice to stories that must be told." It was through Theatre for Humans that Teresa was first introduced to the remarkable work being done by Women for Afghan Women and has traveled to Afghanistan twice to witness their programs firsthand. She has written, directed and produced films focusing on women and girl's human rights including "Afghanistan, Moving Forward" for the WAW 2015 Gala and website. She is honored to be part of the Women For Afghan Women family.
A senior non-resident Associate with CSIS and recently retired career diplomat with the personal rank of Minister Counselor, Annie was until March 2019 the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan and from 2017-2018 the Deputy Chief of Mission in Kabul. With a focus on security, rule of law, and human rights during a 30-year career in the Foreign Service, Annie directed implementation of the 2014 Central America Engagement Strategy at the National Security Council. She was the Director for the Office of Andean Affairs in the Western Hemisphere Affairs bureau during Colombia’s peace process and the emerging Venezuela crisis (2015-2017), the International Organizations bureau’s Office for Peacekeeping, Sanctions and Counterterrorism, and the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement bureau’s Office for Civilian Police and Rule of Law. She also directed the INL program, also known as the “Merida Initiative,” in Mexico City and was the Political Counselor at the Embassies in Afghanistan and El Salvador. She is a graduate of Harvard University with a Masters in Security Studies from the National War College, and speaks Spanish and some Dari.