iStand 2022 Speakers

With over 14 years of experience in global leadership support, Lady Anita empowers leaders from all spheres of influence to showcase their brilliance and own their voices in the global market. A gifted interviewer, she asks provocative questions that inspire healing, vision and growth. She has interviewed heads of state, royalty and regarded leaders from around the world.

Anver is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Islamic Law and History at the University of Toronto, where he directs the Institute of Islamic Studies. A Guggenhiem Fellow and member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada, he is widely published in Islamic Law and history. He is co-author of Jurisdictional Exceptionalisms: Islamic Law, International Law, and Parental Child Abduction. 

Deanielle is co-founder and director of advocacy for Find My Parent. FMP empowers individuals around the world through AI technology as a tool to find and reconnect with their families. This session offers tips for creating essential  online resources to help your case.

Jules is the mother of an IPCA youth survivor, co-founder and president of Shine the Light for Abducted Children. This ecumenical session invites participants to share how their faith and spirituality helps them in this journey.

Author of the memoir, Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters, now the Lifetime movie Stolen By Their Father. Lizbeth is an writer, speaker, online teacher and coach. The Writers Roundtable will inspire others to tell their truths and share their stories.  

Scott is the author of "Extraordinary Circumstances" which describes his experiences as a survivor of a famous parental kidnapping case that grasped national and international headlines and culminated with being a first test case for a national law. Scott is a board member for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Donna Foster Zahid looked forward to a bright future with her husband and young son. The bright future turned into a dark nightmare when her husband whisked their son off to his native country, Pakistan. In her memoir, I'm Coming Back, Donna tells a stirring and compelling story of clandestine meetings, tense moments with gun-toting Pakistani officials, and a lot of prayer. The happy ending reunites Donna with her son.

Dr. Hunter is cofounder and president emeritus of iStand Parent Network Inc. She is a parent survivor and mother of a returned IPCA survivor.  This session equips participants to counter the "every case is different" refrain among state actors attempting to explain poor performance in resolving abductions.

George worked unceasingly to stay connected with, and ultimately reunite with his son Andoni, who was abducted to Greece as a young child. George is also an iStand co-founder. His story of commitment, compromise and persistence to reunite with Andoni is sure to inspire. 

During the years that Ravi was separated from his son Reynsh, the father went to extraordinary lengths to maintain communications with his son, all while co-founding Bring Our Kids Home to raise awareness and combat IPCA to India.  Ravi's cerebral tenacity and clear understanding of the challenges of reunification will offer insights for us all. 

Dr. Samina Rahman's tenacious mother's love empowered her to stay connected to her son, Abdallah, after he was abducted to India. Samina especially used social media to have a relationship with her son, and today, their fun-filled relationship is stronger than ever. Samina was recognized as an iStand Angel for her years of faithful support for this cause. 

Nafeesah Ali and Maayimuna N'Diaye are IPCA survivors from Egypt and Mali, respectively. As iStand Parent Network Youth Ambassadors, their mission is to reach out to other survivors, sharing their experiences of hope and healing and creating a bridge for other survivors to connect for support and encouragement. Their session is for youth survivors, families and those who want to learn more from their experiences.

Roxie is a graduate research assistant at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Roxie has engaged the National Children's Advocacy Center and conducted research on law enforcement and survivor experiences with IPCA. This session offers tips and strategies for mining public data to aid in case and cause advocacy.

This session urges researchers to adopt a common research agenda to address dual problem of parental alienation and international parental child abduction.

Sarah is pursuing a Master of Public Policy degree at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Her presentation defines IPCA as a "wicked problem". Wicked problems require complex solutions, and reframing IPCA as a wicked problem underscores the urgent need for dynamic, sustained policy responses.