Robina Niaz

Robina Niaz was born and raised in Pakistan and migrated to the United States in 1990. In the aftermath of 9/11, Robina founded Turning Point for Women and Families, the first non-profit in New York City to directly address domestic violence in the Muslim community. She served as Turning Point’s Executive Director and ran it successfully for 20 years from 2004-2024 and retired recently. Over the last two decades, despite a tiny staff and modest budget, Turning Point has become a beacon of light for Muslim women, girls, and children, and has been recognized locally, nationally and internationally as an effective model for addressing domestic violence in the Muslim community.

Robina also served as a Commissioner on NYC's Commission on Gender Equity, was a member of the Social Work Advisory Council at Medgar Evers College and joined the Advisory Board of the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center, New York (PPSC) in 2022. She has an MS in Applied Psychology (Pakistan) and an MSW from Hunter College, School of Social Work. She was a 2007 CORO Immigrant Leadership Fellow and a 2005 Open Society Institute Social Justice Fellow. A social worker and fierce advocate for women's rights, Robina has received numerous awards for her community service. She was named a CNN Hero (2009), was recognized by the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG), and honored in 2019 by the Women2Women Forum. In 2017, Robina was named one of 21 "Movement Makers" by the Novo Foundation.