Our Mission

Mission Statement

HerPivot envisions a community of women, supporting each other through tough career transitions, decisions, and pivots. Focused on mid-career and executive leadership regardless of race, ethnicity, or social status, HerPivot seeks to facilitate a platform for inspiring and empowering women. Listen to stories from professional women globally to make your Pivot within limited professional opportunities.

What We Do

HerPivot is an independent, nonpartisan, career mentorship organization that promotes stories of  incredible women in the mid to executive level leadership roles.

HerPivot offers career development, mentorship, and networking programs to help women navigate their career fields personally and professionally for leadership.

Meet the Team


  • Founder/President

    Shaz Akram has been the Executive Director of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group (WFPG), the Deputy Director at the Fulbright Association and the Assistant Director at the International Services Office, and the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center at Mississippi State University. In these roles, she led high level programs, oversaw fundraising and strategic planning initiatives, large financial portfolios, growth of membership, developing young professional networks, introducing career counseling and social innovation projects, produced large Fulbright Conferences and TEDx salons; multiplied organizational communication capacity; and spearheaded programs like the Fulbright prize that honored Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Germany. At WFPG she led various foreign policy panels, developed programs with UN Women and the Diplomatic community in DC. She is a prolific fundraiser with a track record of growing organizational portfolios.
    Shaz, a Nigerian-born Pakistani, began her career working in the Civil Superior Services (CSS) in Pakistan before moving to the US. A skilled foreign affair professional, with a career in public service and international affairs, Shaz has built an impressive network of foreign leaders, diplomats and connections within the higher education, government, and non-profit world in the US and abroad. Shaz Akram currently serves on the Governors of DACOR, Inc. & Trustees of DACOR Bacon House Foundation board of Mentee and the Public Diplomacy Council of America.


  • Communication Advisor

    Ainab Rahman is a gender and security practitioner. She currently serves as Director at a global strategic advisory and intelligence company.


  • Communications Director

    Travis York is a Ph.D. student in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the Ohio State University. They received a MA in Women and Gender Studies from University of Toronto and a BA in History from Princeton University. He is a passionate, focus-driven communications and marketing expert, with both agency and in-house public relations experience. Travis has a long history working for non-profits whose goals center around promoting gender- and sexuality-based diversity and prosperity.

    Travis, a native of Michigan, is a passionate educator and continual learner. His work within academia and public relations intersects through his continual emphasis on promoting inclusive approaches to strategic, forward-facing media interventions.

  • Research Fellow:

    Muhammad Kashif Aslam is a career Civil Service Officer, who works in the Police Service of Pakistan. He has held important positions related to Police Operations and Investigations in different districts of Punjab. Additionally, he has served in terrorism-hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). Recently, he worked as a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) at the Elite Police Force Punjab. In this role, he advised Punjab Police and other law enforcement officials in planning, developing and implementing programmes and activities to deal with post-conflict situations. He also provided specialized institutional capacity building assistance in this area.
    He is a recipient of British Chevening Scholarship in 2015 and completed LL.M. degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He also holds LLB degree and a MBA degree from Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi. In 2013, he participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in the USA. He has also attended various local trainings related to crime management, investigation management, evidence collection in terrorism cases and combating transnational crimes. Furthermore, He has conducted research in areas such as Violence against women, Curbing Police Corruption, violence against children and training policy of Police. As a Humphrey Fellow, he is interested in exploring the best practices and legislations for rights and protection of marginalized groups especially transgender, and its integration with existing criminal justice system.

Intern with us

We are seeking volunteer interns to work as part of the HerPivot team. Interns are given the opportunity to improve their knowledge of women empowerment, gender equality, and feminist policy issues. Also learn how a small organization operates, and connect with accomplished women working in diverse professions. Please note you will get a opportunity to contribute to blogs to advance your publication records. This is an unpaid internship.