Confidential Helpline
713-981-7645
People of Daya
Board of Directors
Fermeen Fazal, J.D., PRESIDENT
Shree Hardikar Nath, MPA, MSN, PAST PRESIDENT
Ali Shah, SECRETARY
Asha Desai, CPA, CO-TREASURER
Christa Jaganath, CPA, CO-TREASURER
Fatima Mohiuddin, LCSW
Lakshmy Parameswaran, MA, LPC*
Viji Raman*
Mika Rao Kalapatapu, MS
Archana Shah
Anila Shethia
* Founding Board Member
Advisory Board
Sarah Abraham, PhD
Sesh Bala
Chitra Divakaruni, PhD
Sindhu Idicula Giri, MD
Mary John, CPA
Anasuya K. Meyer, CFP®
Shazma Matin
Niraj Patel
Dinesh Pejaver, PhD
Annu Rao Naik
Leeja Thomas, LCSW
John Ting, LLM
Stuti Trehan Patel, JD
Staff
Client Services Team
Client Services Team
This team provides compassionate, confidential, and professional services to survivors of abuse.
Minoo Advani
Financial Coordinator
Minoo manages the details of Daya's robust financial system through accounting, data management, and quality assurance.
Joined Daya: 2021
Aparna Asthana
Development Director
Aparna oversees Daya's community programs, manages donor and volunteer relationships, and leads fundraising efforts.
Joined Daya: 2024
Barbara Le
Director of Finance & Administration
Barbara oversees Daya’s success behind the scenes, including budget development and management, financial compliance, and human resources.
Joined Daya: 2018
Swati Narayan
Houston Director of AAPI Community Safety & Belonging
Swati Narayan provides safety services, community programing, and interagency collaborations to build collective safety for the AAPI population.
Joined Daya: 2023
Autoosa Abadi, LCSW
Director of Programs
Autoosa leads Daya's major programs through planning, implementation, grants management, and impact assessment.
Joined Daya: 2017
Nusrat Ameen, PhD
Senior Director of Legal Services
Dr. Ameen leads Daya's legal program and elevates survivors' voices on local, state, and national advocacy forums, sparking initiatives that grow into core Daya programming.
Joined Daya: 2008
Ariel Ceeney
Office Manager
Ariel organizes Daya's daily operations and provides comprehensive administrative support to the Staff and Board.
Joined Daya: 2024
Hareema Mela, LPC
Interim Executive Director (5/1/24)
Director of Client Services
Hareema Mela leads the client services team in providing culturally specific mental health services and comprehensive case management to clients. As a trusted leader at Daya, she is serving at the helm of Daya during the organization's Executive Director search.
Joined Daya: 2017
Elisabeth Swim
Helpline Client Advocate
Elisabeth serves on the frontline, providing safety and support to survivors. Passionate about communication across barriers of language and ability, Elisabeth has also produced abuse-education tools used throughout our field.
Joined Daya: 2021
To contact Board President, Fermeen Fazal,
please email contact@dayahouston.org