Links

Global Survey of Public Servants

I am involved in the Global Survey of Public Servants, an ambitious project where we are surveying bureaucrats around the world. I encourage you to play with our data visualization tool here.

My Background

I come from several generations of academics. My great great grandfather, Calvin Thomas, was a linguist who was president of the Modern Language Association, in addition to being a professor at Michigan and Columbia (see the black and white pic). My father, Farrokh Mistree, and my mother, Janet Allen, are currently professors at the University of Oklahoma, in addition to being emeritus/emerita professors at Georgia Tech. My brother, Behram Mistree, completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering at Stanford and is working at Google. With Fareeza Doctor, I am also a father to two excellent young boys, Hormazd and Cyrus. 

Other Projects and Interests

I occasionally interview Indian and U.S. officials. They aren't always recorded, but here's a lecture and fireside chat from 2023 with Rahul Gandhi (skip to 23:46 if you want to see the chat).

I am involved with Freedom Employability Academy, a program that works to improve employment prospects for economically disadvantaged students across India (currently ~56k students). 

I am the co-founder of an artisan chai and coffee company based in Delhi, India called Jugmug Thela. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jugmugthela/.

I am also involved in the Zoroastrian community. Agiary Connect is an organization I started with Benafsha Shroff so that Zoroastrians who do not live in India can have religious services performed at consecrated temples on their behalf. These temples only exist in Iran, Pakistan, and India, making it difficult for the tens of thousands of Zoroastrians who have migrated elsewhere to stay connected to their religion and its rituals. At the same time, priests are leaving the practice as there is not enough demand for their services. Agiary Connect is designed to serve the religious needs of the Zoroastrian diaspora, while simultaneously providing opportunities for pursuing the priestly profession within India.

I co-founded the Return to Roots Program, which is designed to get Zoroastrian youth to form closer ties with their community. This is achieved by organizing short trips through Zoroastrian India, similar to other programs like Taglit Birthright-Israel. 

I also teach Sunday School for high school students in the Bay Area and serve on the FEZANA Scholarship Committee.