About Our Global Team
BOARD MEMBERS OF EMPOWER NEPALI GIRLS
SAMEER SHAMSUDDIN
A former chief technology officer for a division within eBay Enterprise, Sameer initially joined the Empower Nepali Girls Board of Directors, and most recently took on the role of Chairman of the Board, and President of the organization to help continue to educate and empower women in Nepal. Sameer is passionate about Empower Nepali Girls because of the intersection of his personal beliefs with ENG’s mission: harnessing the power of education in altering people’s lives, establishing equality and personal choice through women’s empowerment, and giving back to communities in developing countries.
Dr. Patrice Moulton is a professor of clinical psychology in Northwestern State University’s graduate program, and currently serves on the national board of the Fulbright Association. She has volunteered with ENG for over ten years and served on the board since 2018. As a component of her board work she serves as an annual volunteer team leader. Team missions include conducting school visits, giving lectures, home visits, and mentoring our scholarship girls. Dr. Moulton has been heavily involved with supplementary projects for the organization such as being the volunteer coordinator for the ENG Safe Learning Spaces earthquake recovery project. In this role she successfully raised funds for the adoption and dedication of 19 safe learning spaces in schools across Nepal. In addition to raising scholarships and leading team visits, Patrice has successfully fundraised and coordinated projects for safe drinking water, solar powered lighting, and women’s health initiatives. Dr. Moulton completed a Fulbright in 2018 in Nepal and assisted in the development of one of the nation’s first Masters Degree Programs in Psychology. She continues to advocate strongly for education, mental health awareness/treatment, and women’s rights in her work both at home and abroad.
SARA SAFARI
Sara Safari is an author, speaker, mountain climber, college professor and advocate for women empowerment. 3 years ago She decided to climb and summit Mt. Everest (29000ft) to bring funds and awareness for the girls who become victims of human trafficking or are forced into early marriage. Last year, during the devastating 7.8 earthquake that hit Nepal, she survived the avalanches on Mt. Everest and came back down to help the victims and families, 10,000 of whom lost their lives and 100,000 kids lost their homes. She received the award for The Global Citizen from United Nations Association in 2015. She is a board member and director of development in Empower Nepali Girls. She recently published her book “Follow My Footsteps” and dedicated it to the girls.
Kripa Upadhyay is a first generation immigrant from Nepal. She came to the U.S. in 1998, and is currently the founder and Managing Attorney of Orbit Law, PLLC, a Seattle based law firm that specializes in all aspects of U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law. While in Nepal, she was a volunteer with Women’s Inspiration Community (WiCom) a Community based organization that ran programs at the three prisons in Kathmandu. Kripa worked with children of inmates who were housed within the prison and helped organize educational events and outings for the children. Since immigrating to the U.S, she has continued to be actively involved with the local Nepali community in Seattle, and continues to devote her time and energy to organizations that focus on advocating and providing services to women and children in Nepal.