At FEZANA we are happy to announce new office bearers on the FEZANA Executive and on various committees.
Sharmin Mistry, Assistant Secretary,
FEZANA Sharmin Mistry was unanimously elected as FEZANA’s Assistant Secretary recently. The position had been vacant since May. We welcome Sharmin as the fifth member of FEZANA’s Executive Committee. Sharmin lives in Toronto and is an active member of Zoroastrian Association of Ontario. She is also actively involved in ZYNA. More about Sharmin in the email below.
Dinsha Mistree Co-Chair, Scholarship Committee,
FEZANA We welcome Dinsha Mistree as Co-Chair of the Scholarships Committee at FEZANA. Dinsha joins Dolly Dastoor in leading this very important FEZANA Committee. Dinsha and Dolly jointly spearheaded the Scholarship Taskforce over the last two years and the entire scholarship committee functioning has been streamlined to be with the current norms and times. Dinsha is an active member at Zoroastrian Anjuman of Northern Califormia and is involved in various other community initiatives. More about Dinsha in the email below.
Kimiya Shahzadi Co-Chair, ZYNA, FEZANA
We welcome Kimiya Shahzadi as Co-Chair of ZYNA. She joins Farzin Avari and Parshan Khosravi in leading the resurgent Zoroastrian Youth of North America (ZYNA). Kimiya grew up in Australia and now resides in the Detroit area and is involved in various projects at ZYNA besides being involved in other community initiatives. More about Kimiya in the email below.
Dr. Persis Driver Co-Chair, Religious Education Committee
FEZANA We welcome Dr. Persis Driver as Co-Chair of FEZANA’s Religious Education Committee. Persis joins Artemis Javanshir in leading this committee. She has been involved in the multi-year revamp of the education curriculum and brings her professional expertise to this endeavor. Persis is an active member of the Zoroastrian Association of Chicago. More about Persis in the email below.
FEZANA would also like to thank Dr. Lovji Cama for his leadership of this very important and critical committee right from its inception. Lovji will continue to be involved with this committee in an Emeritus Chair role and play an Advisor and Mentor role for the next generation of Religion Class teachers in North America.
About Sharmin Mistry
Originally from Mumbai, India, now residing in Toronto, Canada, Sharmin is a youth member at Zoroastrian Society of Ontario. She is a marketing graduate from Seneca College currently working at a global media agency. Sharmin joined the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario as the youth committee member where she conducted donation drives and initiated events such as skating day, maple syrup tours, youth committee outings and was recognized for her work by the President of the organization, Mitra Jam. She is also a part of FEZANA’s ZYNA committee where she received the opportunity to lead the Service and Advocacy sub-committee and currently heading “Attitude of Gratitude”, a North American wide initiative that encourages the Zoroastrian organizations to give back to the community by conducting acts of kindness and service. Having said that, as a women empowerment advocate, her goal is to inspire Zoroastrian women to become an inspiration for other women, through guidance, motivation and mentorship.
About Dinsha Mistree
Dinsha Mistree co-chairs the FEZANA Scholarship Committee with Dolly Dastur. Dinsha has been involved with a number of national and international community efforts, including the Return to Roots Program.
He also teaches Sunday School at ZANC / PZO. Outside of his involvement with the community, Dinsha is a Research Fellow at Stanford University. He holds a PhD in Politics from Princeton as well as an SB from MIT.
About Kimiya Shahzadi
Kimiya Shahzadi was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia and migrated to Ann Arbor, MI, United States in 2020 after marrying her husband. She graduated with a Master of Science in clinical behavioral psychology and started a business. Kimiya enjoys investing and has a black belt in Shotokan Karate. She gives back to the Zoroastrian community by being a ZYNA Co-Chair, being a social media manager at NAMC, and donating. Kimiya has begun her training with the Zoroastrian Mobed Council of Iran to become a mobedyar and aspires to become a mobed.
About Dr. Persis Driver
Dr. Persis Driver is a professor of Developmental Psychology at Dominican University, Chicago with a master’s in teaching, and PhD in Educational Psychology. Her research is in the scholarship of teaching and learning, focusing on how individuals learn, sustain motivation, and interact in teams. She also runs an after-school creative and academic writing program. She is a religious education teacher, curriculum developer, and Co-Chair of the Children & Youth Religious Education committee at the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago (ZAMC) and a recipient of their Community Service Award. She coordinates experiential learning in the Chicagoland area and neighboring states, designing developmentally appropriate curricula, lessons, and activities. She contributes to the FEZANA education group, providing professional development workshops for educators and evaluating age-appropriate lesson plans. She has compiled two guides on developmentally sound teaching practices for students at diverse ages and for sustaining youth engagement, interest, and advocacy in religious education.
