Almas Muscatwalla
Commissioner
Almas Muscatwalla is a community leader in the city of Dallas and across the North Texas region. In 2015, Muscatwalla co-founded Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square to unite faith leaders from across religions to stand together for social justice issues, including migrant and refugee matters, homelessness, gun violence and racial equity. She served as executive director of Faith Forward Dallas from 2016 to 2022.
Muscatwalla serves in many leadership roles across educational, cultural and arts sectors of the community. In her volunteer capacity, Muscatwalla serves as a workshop leader for the Islamic Art Revival Series and as an advisor to Compassionate DFW. She serves the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation, acting as chair beginning in January 2023. She is co-founder and director of the Faiths in Conversation Initiative and participates in the DFW Muslim Jewish Advisory Council. Muscatwalla has served on the board of the United Nations Association Dallas Chapter and currently serves on the board of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. Because of her engagement in interfaith and justice work, Muscatwalla was also invited to join the board of directors of Project Unity to facilitate race relations across the city of Dallas.
Muscatwalla was first appointed as Commissioner to DHA’s Board of Commissioners in October 2022. She believes that affordable housing is vital to address issues of homelessness across our community. Muscatwalla aligns with the mission and vision of DHA to increase quality, affordable housing for low-income families and individuals. During her tenure, she strives to continue to remove the negative connotation behind housing assistance, and wants community partners, from valued landlords to investors alike, to understand that voucher holders have strong goals and aspirations, just like them. She is passionate about alleviating poverty across North Texas and believes housing should be accessible for all people.
In addition to her work with DHA, Muscatwalla is a member of Family Gateway where she works to empower families with children experiencing homelessness. In her free time, Muscatwalla enjoys travel, reading, singing and spending time with her two sons and husband.
Muscatwalla holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a Master of Science in childhood development from Bombay University. She is a graduate of Leadership Plano as part of the Plano Chamber of Commerce, as well as Leadership Arts Institute (LAI).
