Shahla Ettefagh – President and Founder of Mother Miracle

Shahla Ettefagh holds a master’s degree in Architecture and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Child Psychology from the University of San Francisco. From 1984-2002, she owned a successful commercial interior art design firm and an adult community art school in San Francisco Bay Area. She moved to India in 2002 with the mission of providing an opportunity for extremely impoverished children through education, empowerment, and unconditional love.  As a foreigner, she was told India would “eat her up,” and she faced many challenges, but her belief in miracles and the grace of God allowed her to persevere.

Tom Duffy – Vice President

Tom Duffy previously served as Board Chair of the Ukulele Kids Club, a 501(C)(3) serving hospitalized children with music therapy and instruments. He serves on the Board of Conservation 501(C)(3). A longtime TM meditation practitioner and teacher, he is currently self-employed in commercial real estate practice and management. A graduate of Villanova University with a master’s degree from Maharishi International University, Tom has sponsored 5 children at Mother Miracle students since 2018. He lives in New Hampshire, but his heart is in Rishikesh, India.

Jasmine Nazari – Treasurer

Jasmine Nazari joined Urban Green Investments in 2013 after earning her MS in Soils and Biogeochemistry from UC Davis, where her thesis focused on Vertical Farming. As Chief Operating Officer, she leads operations, fundraising, and business development, focusing on strategy, efficiency, and long-term partnerships. She is set to begin the Wharton EMBA program in Summer 2026.

Service is central to her life. In addition to volunteering on farms and in shelters, Jasmine has sponsored a special girl at Mother Miracle since college, using savings from her Persian New Year piggy bank. That young girl is now a business owner, making her dreams a reality. Jasmine now sponsors a brilliant young boy as well and spent several months volunteering on-site.

Jasmine works across five languages—English, French, Farsi, Spanish, and a little Japanese—and enjoys building connections that move projects and people forward. Outside of work, she loves to dance, run, organize, host gatherings, and take on fix-and-flip projects.”

Peter Jacobs – Secretary

Peter was born in Britain to Indian and British parents and studied in Australia, where he earned degrees in Education, Arts Management, and Business (MBA). With a diverse background, Peter has worked around the world as a school teacher, actor trainer, casting agent, MBA lecturer, and in leadership roles at top institutions like Le Cordon Bleu and Malomatia IT in Qatar. He has also managed learning and development programs in the pharmaceutical industry in Asia and Switzerland. Peter is passionate about education and community service and has served on various boards and committees internationally.

Michael Ward, MD – Member

Michael Ward trained in Chemical Engineering and, upon graduation, entered Medical School, becoming an anesthesiologist. He retired after 33 years of a successful practice, much of which was servicing as Department Chairman. Upon retirement, Michael knew he wanted to give back to society and help children who did not have the many opportunities in life that he had been given. In 2017, during his travels in India, he found Mother Miracle and had dedicated the rest of his life to supporting these beautiful and most deserving children. He sponsors one child; he says, “I fell in love with him upon first seeing his warm, loving eyes.” The child is now in the 3rd grade and is top of his class. Michael continues to support Mother Miracle in various ways as it expands and envisions even greater things for the future.

Kusum Bijalwan – Member

Kusum Bijalwan joined Mother Miracle School when she was 10 years old. In 2008, she became a part-time assistant to Shahla and traveled extensively with her to the US for three months. She graduated in 2013 holding a bachelor’s degree in Science, and in 2015, she earned her master’s in Zoology. Immediately, she started working for Mother Miracle School as an assistant to the founder and president. She manages the school by taking care of all the daily school chores and communicating via emails with sponsors and donors worldwide to raise money for our project. In September 2017, she became a Trustee and was selected as a Treasurer of the trust. She is fully dedicated to this project. Today she is the Director of administration Services in School, Treasurer in Indian Trust, and the board of directors in the USA.

Ajay Gupta – Board Member

Ajay Gupta is a world-class youth mindset coach, speaker, and social impact leader. He served as the #1 National Speaker and Corporate Trainer with Tony Robbins for 4 years, delivering over 1,000 workshops on mindset, leadership, and personal growth. His passion lies in helping young people build confidence, emotional resilience, and purpose.

Ajay was introduced to Mother Miracle through his family’s commitment to giving. After volunteering at the school and forming deep bonds with the students, he felt called to join the Board of Directors. He now supports the school by leading mindset and vision board exercises for the students, while also helping the organization explore new fundraising strategies.

Ajay spends significant time at the school and values being hands-on in his service. He lives by the belief: “The secret to living is giving — and the more we give, the more meaningful life becomes.”

Nicole Massoumi – Member

Nicole graduated from the University of San Francisco’s business school with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Upon graduation, Nicole worked as a Financial Statement Auditor at an international public accounting firm where she served clients across various industries. Nicole quickly discovered her passion for working with nonprofit organizations and decided to spend a year volunteering at different nonprofits around the world. While traveling through India, Nicole discovered the Mother Miracle School where she volunteered her time by performing a pro bono audit of the school’s finances and helped prepare financial reports for prospective donors. Impressed by the school’s large impact on a lean budget, Nicole continued to volunteer her time on various projects in a remote capacity. Nicole sponsors two Mother Miracle students, and she continues to support the school remotely by providing pro bono accounting and finance-related services.

Vishal Bindal – Trust President and Chief Functionary

Vishal Bindal was raised in Rishikesh, India. In 1995 he earned his degree in Architecture from Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar. While studying, he began designing buildings for an architecture firm. After graduation, he started Aakar Architects in Rishikesh. His successful firm designs government and private structures such as luxury apartments, hospitals, and colleges throughout North India. In 2002, Mr. Bindal began offering his generous support to Mother Miracle. He has helped to design our buildings, and his firm has donated our architectural designs. He and his wife live in Rishikesh with their cute little girl, Aadya.

Peter Jacobs – Secretary

Peter was born in Britain to Indian and British parents and studied in Australia, where he earned degrees in Education, Arts Management, and Business (MBA). With a diverse background, Peter has worked around the world as a school teacher, actor trainer, casting agent, MBA lecturer, and in leadership roles at top institutions like Le Cordon Bleu and Malomatia IT in Qatar. He has also managed learning and development programs in the pharmaceutical industry in Asia and Switzerland.  Peter is passionate about education and community service and has served on various boards and committees internationally.

Kusum Bijalwan – Treasurer

Kusum Bijalwan joined Mother Miracle School when she was 10 years old. In 2008, she became a part-time assistant to Shahla and traveled extensively with her to the US for three months. She graduated in 2013 holding a bachelor’s degree in Science, and in 2015, she earned her master’s in Zoology. Immediately, she started working for Mother Miracle School as an assistant to the founder and president. She manages the school by taking care of all the daily school chores and communicating via emails with sponsors and donors worldwide to raise money for our project. In September 2017, she became a Trustee and was selected as a Treasurer of the trust. She is fully dedicated to this project. Today she is the Director of administration Services in School, Treasurer in Indian Trust, and the board of directors in the USA.

Shivam Dangwal – Trustee

We’re honoured to introduce Shivam, an exceptional alumnus of Mother Miracle School. He joined the school in 2008 and graduated with honours in Electrical Engineering in 2019. During the COVID-19 crisis, Shivam returned to volunteer in the school’s relief food program. Soon after, he became an Education and College Counsellor, helping 25 graduates gain admission into top universities while serving as their legal guardian. Today, Shivam serves as the Director of Information and Technology at Mother Miracle School, overseeing all tech operations and digital growth. His journey reflects a deep commitment to giving back and transforming lives through education.

Ajay Gupta – Trustee

Ajay Gupta is a world-class youth mindset coach, speaker, and social impact leader. He served as the #1 National Speaker and Corporate Trainer with Tony Robbins for 4 years, delivering over 1,000 workshops on mindset, leadership, and personal growth. His passion lies in helping young people build confidence, emotional resilience, and purpose.

Ajay was introduced to Mother Miracle through his family’s commitment to giving. After volunteering at the school and forming deep bonds with the students, he felt called to join the Board of Directors. He now supports the school by leading mindset and vision board exercises for the students, while also helping the organization explore new fundraising strategies.

Ajay spends significant time at the school and values being hands-on in his service. He lives by the belief: “The secret to living is giving — and the more we give, the more meaningful life becomes.”

Richa Mandal – Trustee

Richa Mandal graduated with a postgraduate degree in History in 2011 and completed her Bachelor of Education in 2012. She joined Mother Miracle School in 2010 and was appointed as a Social Science and Art teacher for Grades 7 to 10. Currently, she serves as the Senior Coordinator, organizing all art projects and overseeing the beautification of the school walls through paintings. Since joining, she has dedicated herself wholeheartedly to nurturing and educating students, striving to make a meaningful impact on their lives and the school community. Richa feels deeply honoured and grateful to serve as a Trustee of Mother Miracle Trust.

Alpa Jain – Trustee

Alpa Jain was born and raised in Mumbai, where she studied Commercial Art and Graphic Design at Nirmala Niketan College of Polytechnic. She began her career working with advertising agencies across India. In 2000, she moved to New York and worked as a Creative Director for South Asian advertising firms, as well as an in-house designer for the American India Foundation. After a decade, she returned to India to pursue independent branding and fashion design projects. Currently, she serves as Director of Chaitanya Instrumental Pvt. Ltd. and continues her work in interior design. Alpa has been a devoted supporter of Mother Miracle School since 2018.