GURU CHARITABLE FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Doug has approximately ten years of experience in sound related operations that includes sound reinforcement, effects and mixing for overall and total sound related performance. His desire to support the mission of preservation of voices of people of Kashmir has lead to quality sound performances for Ladi Shah Project. Doug received a Associates's from Villa Maria College, and currently serves as the Creative Multi-media Expert for Simulated Surgical Systems LLC. Doug lives in Buffalo, NY.
Iliyas conducts interviews for the Ladi Shah Project. He is currently doing research on climate change and has studied Medicine in Iran and Environmental Studies in Kashmir. Writing on diverse issues with a special focus on public health, environment and development, his work has appeared in Greater Kashmir, Rising Kashmir, The Times of India, and Kashmir Life. Iliyas lives in Kashmir.
Drs. Khurshid and Lubna co-founded GCF. Khurshid conceived, researched and developed the Ladi Shah Project since its inception in 2009. Together with Yousef Mian, they laid the pathways for its elaborate archiving, best practices and converted a truly American project to a grass roots Kashmiri program. Khurshid is a robotic surgeon with expertise in pelvic oncologic surgery and Lubna is a practicing Pediatrician. They live in Buffalo NY with their three children Shireen, Nurayn and Yousef.
Rohi is responsible for the recording and archiving of oral histories in Kashmir for the Ladi Shah Project. Rohi is an M.A. student in Mass Communications and Journalism at the University of Kashmir, where she has written articles for MERC Times, the Media Education Research Center newspaper, and anchored the university's news program, Quest. Rohi has created several short documentary films on Kashmiri society and culture. She has a B.S. in Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology from the University of Kashmir. Rohi lives in Srinagar, Kashmir.
Samia co-launched the Ladi Shah Project in Kashmir, and she is responsible for training and providing ongoing support to program staff. Samia also manages communications and development for the Ladi Shah Project. Samia has four years of experience as a fundraiser for not-for-profit organizations in New York City, where she currently resides. She holds a B.A. in Individualized Study from New York University.
Shifa planned and co-launched the Ladi Shah Project in Kashmir, training and supervising project staff. Shifa is currently an M.A. student in the Near Eastern Studies Program at New York University. She is a Fulbright Fellow and holds a B.A. in Critical Theory. Her academic and artistic work in oral history, photography and creative writing focuses on the city of Tangier, Morocco.
Yousef has been involved in grant writing and legal oversight for GCF since 2009. He has actively participated in developing best practices for the Ladi Shah Project's critical documentation & archiving sections. He is an attorney specializing in cyber law and intellectual property matters, particularly patent prosecution and litigation. Yousef lives in New York City, NY with his wife, Sophia.