Writer. Researcher. NGO Consultant.
CV
Professional Summary
I am a 2019 graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy with direct experience working in a conflict zone as well as extensive research experience in the fields of extremism, governance, human rights, and monitoring, evaluation, and analysis.
My research background includes primary, secondary, and open source. Several of my papers written while at Fletcher have been published by the British think tank, Islamic Theology for Counter-Terrorism. I wrote numerous pieces on Afghanistan—its politics, its extremists, its current climate, its regional role, and the negotiations with the Taliban. Additionally, I conducted and transcribed interviews for our security journal, including one with the former ambassador to Pakistan. I also spent the summer of 2018 as a research intern at a think tank in Israel, the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, both doing my own research and assisting the staff in theirs.
In 2016, I joined the Yazidi nonprofit Yazda to assist with research, writing, and editing, and on location near Mosul with the local staff to compile the data needed to meet the audit guidelines of the UN financial assistance programs in which Yazda was participating. I also worked directly with the displaced community, both gathering data and teaching volunteers about working with children with trauma and aiding women who had escaped ISIS captivity.
In my most current position at the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, I analyze government taxpayer spending and fraud on humanitarian projects in Afghanistan.
In my next position I am looking to harness my research and writing skills to assist an organization in making change in the Middle East.
Skills
Writing Interviewing Research Logistics Resource Management Event Management Facilitation Creative Initiatives
Work Experience
February 2022 - Present
Research Analyst at the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
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Analyze criteria for auditing based on latest federal guidelines
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Continued training courses at USIP, GAO, DOD, among others in topics relevant to auditing, necessary tools, and international relations and peacebuilding
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Run analyses on relevant data
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Won an award for audit proposal ideas
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Complete tracing and verifying and referencing on final reports
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Accepted to DEIA Committee as a member of the Education Committee
December 2021-February 2022
Research Associate at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies
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Research and consult on country relationships, including defense and weapons agreements, between major powers and the MENA region
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Coordinate and attend meetings with potential grant-partners
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Research and report on non state actors and governance throughout the MENA region
May 2021-Nov 2021
Editor at ImpactCurve Global Consulting
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Edit full RFPs including budgets
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Consult on program creation through logic models, adhering to specific requests and budgets
September 2016-November 2021
Vice President of Programming, Women's Empowerment at Yuva Group for Women and Children Trauma Victims
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Created and implemented a women’s empowerment program
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Provided hands-on education in appropriate mental health paradigms to Yazidi volunteers in Dohuk and
neighboring villages on Sinjar Mountain serving internally displaced people (IDP) -
Worked with local volunteers to provide mental health and social support for IDP trauma victims and survivors of sexual slavery
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Taught and created curriculum for English as a Second Language (ESL) for IDP children ages approximately 8-12 years old, working with local teachers and volunteers in tribal villages
August 2019-September 2020
Project Coordinator at Strategic Capacity Group
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Recruited by the security sector reform focused nonprofit to serve as a key member of the Mali Academies of Excellence Program, as well as provide research, development, and logistical support on a variety of projects throughout Africa and Asia
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Organized and attended the first annual conference for Women in Law Enforcement in Southeast Asia located in Manila
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Assessed the organizational and pedagogical capacities of the National Guard in Bamako
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Led the creation of a series of instructor professionalization events for the Malian security forces (National Guard, National Police, Gendarmerie, and Civil Service Protection)
o Conducted M&E and follow up analysis
February 2019-September 2019
South Asia Policy Desk Member at Islamic Theology of Counter-Terrorism
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Researching, writing, and editing articles on topics related to national security and geopolitics for online and print editions alone and as part of a team
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Produced research article on Afghanistan to be included in upcoming book on extremism
October 2018-January 2020
Development Analyst at Together for Women
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Working with founder of Together Central Buganda, a 501C(3) organization, to raise funds to purchase water tanks and hospital beds for the sole health clinic in Konani
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Developing a business and micro-finance plan to support Konani women in their effort to expand the market for their handmade baskets and jewelry
October 2017-May 2019
Editor of Interviews & Book Reviews for Fletcher Security Review
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Select and conduct interviews with prominent scholars and professionals in the field of Securities Studies on current topics for publication in annual journal
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Identify important new books relevant to Securities Studies and solicit scholars to review each work; edit submitted reviews for publication
May-August 2018
Research Intern and Coordinator of the Executive Programs Conference at the International Institute of
Counter-Terrorism
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Worked with academics and professionals in the field of Security Studies researching impact of ISIS governance on civilian population in Nangarhar, Afghanistan
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Organized and facilitated multi-national Executive Program annual conference of academic and military securities professionals
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Oversaw logistics including conference schedule, facility preparation, participant travel, food and lodging
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Worked with director of the law and security program on United Nations grant proposal for research into use of AI in defense technology
June 2016-September 2017
Yazda- Global Yazidi Organization
Educator for the Yuva Group for Women and Children Trauma Victims
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Provided hands-on education in appropriate mental health paradigms to Yazidi volunteers in Dohuk and neighboring villages on Sinjar Mountain serving internally displaced people (IDP)
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Worked with local volunteers to provide mental health and social support for IDP trauma victims and survivors of sexual slavery
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Taught and created curriculum for English as a Second Language (ESL) for IDP children ages approximately 8 – 12 years old, working with local teachers and volunteers in tribal villages
Manager for the 2014 Yazidi Genocide United Nations Assessment Report
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Gathered and compiled available financial documentation for required audit review to support continuation of UN programs for IDP victims of the 2014 Yazidi Genocide for required UN audit
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Interviewed and recorded personal testimony of survivors of the 2014 Genocide and of the women and children survivors of sexual slavery to raise awareness and garner international support for victims
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Met with tribal leaders to document efforts to rebuild educational facilities in war-damaged ancestral villages and to explore options for accessing international financial support
Education
2017-2019
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (3.9 GPA)
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Fields of Study:
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Human Security | International Security Studies
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Perceptions of Governance in Nangarhar, Afghanistan
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Research Certification:
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Collaborative Institutional Training Institute (CITI)
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Human Subjects Research (HSR)
2010-2014
University of Chicago
Bachelor of Arts with Honors, English Literature (3.8 GPA)
Recent Publications
A selection of my work in the fields of counterterrorism, human security, and security studies can be found online:
Marketing Terrorism: The Continental Fear from Middle East to Asia & Africa
Militancy and Identity Politics in Assam
An account of fact and fiction regarding ISIS governance
Human Security, Economic Vulnerability and Terrorism in Afghanistan
ISIS Brides: Perpetrators or Victims?
Outlook: Chechnya and Terrorism, Putin and Kadyrov
Understanding Myanmar: History and Current Perspectives
Governance in Afghanistan and Pakistan: A German perspective
A Conversation with Bernd Mützelburg, German special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan
The Fragmentation of Identity in Modern Japan- Reinvention of the Oedipal Myth
Outside of my work in international affairs, I am a published poet, fiction writer, and humorist. My work can be found online at:
Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine