Sumaira Ahmed

Sumaira started her career at the age of 3, working as an actor/model in Bangladesh & India. She is a classically-trained Kathak dancer and has performed at Madison Square Garden, Kodak Theatre, Santiniketan, and the Rudolf Steiner Theatre.

In 2010, Ahmed earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Boston University’s College of Communication. In the same year, she launched her lifestyle blog – Flower: The Converted Bostonian – essaying topics ranging from relationships to restaurant reviews to relapses in her health.

In 2014, Ahmed was diagnosed with sero-negative neuromyelitis optica (NMO)/CRION. Shortly after, she founded The Sumaira Foundation for NMO dedicated to generating awareness of NMO. fundraising to find a cure, and building a global community of support for patients and their caregivers. Since its infancy, the foundation has donated $250,000 to NMOSD/MOG-AD research in the United States.

In 2015, Ahmed became the 1st Miss Bangladesh-USA advocating for equal opportunity education for the children of Bangladesh in efforts to increase tolerance and strengthen the country’s international presence, economy, and infrastructure.

In 2018, Ahmed earned a certificate from a 1-year Nonprofit Management & Leadership program at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.

In 2020, Ahmed was named by Causeartist as one of 30 nonprofit founders who will impact the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ahmed became a panelist / contributor to Voters for Cures, an initiative of PhRMA, and a member of Medable’s Patient Advisory Council [PAC].

In 2021, Ahmed was an honorary recipient of WeWork’s Women for Tomorrow initiative and became a founding member of the Athari Group - the 1st globally-focused accelerator for idea-stage nonprofits.