Meet the PeopleBehind the Mission

Preeti Singh is the founder of The Empower Play Project, a women-led initiative dedicated to empowering women through indoor cricket, leadership, confidence, and community building.

With a strong passion for sports and women’s empowerment, Preeti has created a platform where women from diverse cultures and backgrounds can come together, compete, grow, and support one another both on and off the field.

As the captain of the Dallas Warriors women’s indoor cricket team, Preeti believes cricket is more than just a sport. It is a powerful tool to build confidence, discipline, teamwork, mental strength, and lifelong friendships.

Her vision for The Empower Play Project is to provide women and young girls with opportunities to step outside their comfort zones, discover their potential, and find a safe and inspiring space through sport.

Under her leadership, the project continues to encourage inclusivity, sisterhood, sportsmanship, and personal growth while promoting women’s indoor cricket within the community. Preeti is passionate about creating history for women in sports and inspiring the next generation of female athletes to lead with courage, resilience, and purpose.

Amber Marfani is the Director of Public Relations and Co-Founder of The Empower Play Project, where she helps create opportunities, leadership, community engagement, and emotional well-being for women through sport.

Based in Dallas, Texas, Amber combines her professional background in clinical research with a lifelong passion for sports, community building, and advocacy. Her work focuses on creating safe, welcoming, and judgment-free spaces where women from all backgrounds feel valued, supported, and empowered.

Amber represented the United States as USA Women’s Indoor Cricket made its international debut at the World Club Series in Dubai through Club Lords. Inspired by that experience, she helped launch the first women’s indoor cricket league at Lords in the United States, which has grown into a thriving community of 10 teams and more than 200 registered women.

She also captains The Dallas Dazzlers and takes pride in representing a group of women whose dedication and passion continue to inspire her. Through Empower Play, Amber hopes to help women build confidence, connection, leadership, emotional well-being, and a lasting sense of purpose through sport.

Puneet Suri serves as Director of Operations for The Empower Play Project, bringing a strong background in project leadership, business operations, process improvement, customer experience, vendor coordination, and team management.

Her professional experience includes leadership roles across operations, product marketing, project management, and business process engineering. Through these roles, she has developed a strong ability to organize complex work, align teams, improve processes, and turn ideas into clear plans and measurable outcomes.

Puneet has also owned and operated a 7-Eleven franchise, where she managed day-to-day operations, built strong relationships with customers, employees, and vendors, trained managers and team members, and helped grow annual revenue from $2 million to $2.5 million within two years. This hands-on business experience gives her a practical understanding of service, execution, accountability, and community connection.

In her role with Empower Play, Puneet supports the operational foundation behind leagues, events, player coordination, communications, logistics, volunteer support, and program delivery. She helps ensure that the organization runs with clarity, consistency, and care as it grows.

Puneet’s leadership style is organized, people-centered, and execution-focused. She understands that strong operations are not just about schedules and systems, but about creating a dependable experience for players, families, coaches, volunteers, sponsors, and community partners.

As Empower Play expands, Puneet helps build the structure needed to support meaningful programs, welcoming events, and long-term community impact through indoor cricket.

Dr. Sayema Ahmad is a researcher, former university professor, athlete, writer, and advocate dedicated to advancing women through sport, mental wellness, and community empowerment.

With a strong academic background in sports sciences, athlete development, and women’s participation in sport, she has spent years combining research, education, and hands-on athletic experience to better understand the powerful connection between sport, mental resilience, and personal growth.

Alongside teaching and research, she has actively worked with athletes and sports teams, helping support both performance and wellbeing.

Her doctoral research focused on the relationship between hardiness, mental toughness, and pain tolerance among track and field athletes. As part of this work, she also designed and developed an original Pain Tolerance Questionnaire, contributing a unique research tool within the field of sports psychology and athlete behavior.

Dr. Sayema has authored and contributed to multiple research papers focused on sports psychology, athlete behavior, mental resilience, physical education, and women in sport. Her work reflects a deep commitment to understanding the emotional, psychological, and social impact of sports participation.

She has also been actively involved in sports leadership and development initiatives, supporting women’s participation, engagement, and representation in sport through athletic and community programs.

Currently based in Dallas, she continues to stay closely connected to sports both as a researcher and athlete. She is a proud member of the Dallas Warriors and actively participates in indoor cricket leagues across the Dallas area.

Her lived experience as an athlete continues to shape and strengthen her research, advocacy, and perspective on women’s experiences in sport.

Her current research explores the impact of indoor cricket participation on women’s mental health, emotional wellbeing, confidence, social connection, identity, and empowerment. Through this work, she examines how sport creates spaces for resilience, leadership, belonging, and community among women from diverse backgrounds.

A lifelong sportsperson, Dr. Sayema believes sports are far more than competition. They are a pathway to confidence, healing, resilience, leadership, and connection. Her journey across athletics, cricket, fitness, yoga, and strength training continues to influence her work and philosophy today.

Beyond research, she writes and speaks about women’s mental health, athletic identity, wellbeing, fitness, and empowerment. Her goal is to create supportive and inclusive spaces where women feel encouraged to move, connect, grow stronger, and rediscover themselves through sport.

Today, she continues to combine research, leadership, lived experience, and storytelling to inspire meaningful change and help build communities that empower women both on and beyond the field.

Her mission is to help women become mentally, emotionally, and physically stronger through the power of sport, movement, and community.

Ishatpreet Toor is a dedicated leader with extensive experience across the transportation and retail industries, where she has successfully led teams, developed talent, and contributed to organizational growth. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about empowering others, fostering collaboration, and creating opportunities for individuals to succeed both personally and professionally.

As a mother, Ishatpreet considers raising her daughter to be her greatest accomplishment and source of inspiration. Her commitment to creating positive opportunities for women and girls led her to become involved with The Empower Play Project, where she is proud to support initiatives that promote confidence, connection, and personal growth.

Ishatpreet strongly believes that every woman deserves the opportunity to invest in herself, pursue her passions, participate in sports and physical activities, and prioritize her mental well-being. She is passionate about helping create inclusive spaces where women can build confidence, strengthen their support networks, and reach their full potential.

Through her involvement with The Empower Play Project, Ishatpreet is committed to empowering women to thrive personally, professionally, and emotionally while inspiring future generations through leadership, service, and community engagement.

Maria Ahmed serves as Lead Counsel at the Law Office of Maria Ahmed, in Dallas, Texas, where she provides strategic, client-focused legal representation with a commitment to professionalism, integrity, and results.

She earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth, Texas, and holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Dallas.

Maria is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, the Collin County Bar Association, the Dallas Bar Association, and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. She is also a member of the Texas A&M Alumni Association and The College of the State Bar of Texas.

Beyond her legal practice, Maria supports educational and community-focused initiatives that expand opportunities and resources for underserved populations, reflecting her commitment to service both inside and outside the courtroom.

Dr. Gurtej Mann is a general and addiction psychiatrist dedicated to providing compassionate, evidence-based, and individualized mental health care. He specializes in treating depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, ADHD, mood disorders, and substance use disorders. Dr. Mann believes in understanding each patient’s unique journey while combining medication management with a holistic approach focused on long-term wellness and improved quality of life.

Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Mann is deeply committed to advancing women’s mental health and empowering individuals through education, advocacy, and improved access to care. He proudly serves on the Advisory Council as the Psychiatric Advisor for The Empower Play Project Foundation, a nonprofit organization. In this role, he supports the foundation’s mission by providing psychiatric expertise and promoting awareness surrounding emotional well-being, resilience, and mental health resources.

Through his work at Nexus Psychiatry and community initiatives, Dr. Mann strives to reduce stigma, foster meaningful conversations around mental health, and provide personalized, compassionate care that helps individuals and families thrive.

Moses Moiseyev serves on the Advisory Committee for The Empower Play Project, bringing over a decade of experience in tax planning, financial strategy, and advisory services for individuals and small businesses.

After building his career at leading public accounting firms - most recently as a Director at Marcum LLP - Moses launched his own independent practice to provide more personalized, accessible financial guidance. He specializes in simplifying complex tax matters and crafting practical strategies that help organizations and individuals make confident, informed financial decisions.

Moses is passionate about supporting mission-driven organizations like Empower Play and is committed to helping ensure the project has a strong, sustainable financial foundation as it continues to grow and serve women and girls in the community.

Currently based in Hershey, PA, Moses lives with his wife Rebecca, a medical student at Penn State College of Medicine, and their son Jacob. He is honored to contribute his expertise to a mission centered on empowerment, opportunity, and community.