Current Fellows
Iryna Drobovych is a civil society leader and advocate for gender equality and democracy. She is the Strategy Director of the Ukrainian Women's Congress, a nonprofit organization. In this role, she collaborates with national and international partners on research and advocacy related to gender and public policy. She advocates for women’s rights and leadership in the context of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Previously, she served as a Government Relations Advisor with the Open Ukraine Foundation and as an Executive Assistant to the Prime Minister. Iryna holds a BA in International Relations and an MA in International Strategies and Security. Her professional goals include expanding her expertise as a strategist on gender policy, and working within Ukraine’s national government to advance gender equality. Iryna sees the Humphrey Fellowship as an opportunity to enrich her knowledge in leadership, policy design, advocacy, and coalition building.
Livia Elkova works with the Department of Social Affairs in Slovakia’s Central Office of Labor, Social Affairs and Family. She has expertise in social benefit systems, policy formulation, public financial management, social work and leadership. Livia holds a Doctorate in Andragogy (adult education), as well as PhD in social work from the St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work in Bratislava, and she has a Master of Business Administration degree. Livia is director of Zivena Kosice, an organization that supports Ukrainian refugee mothers and children. She is committed to ensuring that the decision-making processes involving children are fair and equitable. During her Humphrey fellowship year, Livia aims to learn about US approaches to addressing the rights and needs of refugee children. She also wants to deepen her skills related to social policy, evaluation, public finance management, and leadership.
Maria Emilia Firpo Reggio is the Head of Department of Cooperation and Programs and Projects Management of the National Directorate of Gender Policies in Uruguay’s Ministry of the Interior. She is responsible for the promotion, design, coordination and management of international cooperation programs and inter-institutional projects related to prevention and intervention of the diverse manifestations of gender based violence and inequalities. She has also been involved in research and university extension projects aimed at the conditions of social inclusion of the migrant population that arrives in Uruguay in conditions of vulnerability. Maria Emilia has a degree in Social Anthropology from the University of the Republic of Uruguay. Through the Humphrey Fellowship, she aims to improve her communication, negotiation, and networking skills, which will enhance her leadership capacity. She is deeply committed to designing and managing development projects that are rooted in evidence-based public policies.
Aison Garcia is a developmental lawyer at the University of the Philippines College of Law Center. He is also a lecturer at several law schools, teaching human rights, agrarian reform, and social justice. Aison holds a JD from the University of the Philippines and a Masters in Law from the Queen Mary University of London on a Chevening scholarship. He was a former consultant at the Office of the Vice President and the Agrarian Reform Department of the Philippines. In his years as a lawyer, Aison worked on programs promoting the rights of farmers, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples. He also founded social enterprises marketing farmers’ produce and renewable energy. Through the Humphrey Fellowship, Aison seeks to sharpen his expertise in social entrepreneurship, and deepen his non-profit leadership and management skills. He aims to expand the political rights of marginalized groups and strengthen their economic empowerment.
Oscar Hendrix is a Legal Advisor for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in the northwestern part of Honduras, one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change. A human rights activist and lawyer, he has served as Legal Advisor of the Municipality of San Pedro Sula in Honduras, where he focused on sports management policies. He also served as an advisor on public policy and human rights for the Municipality of Santa Cruz de Yojoa, and as a consultant to nongovernmental organizations focused on women’s rights, youth rights and democracy. Oscar is committed to improving local government administration by promoting transparency and open government, and combating corruption. He aims to expand his knowledge of territorial planning, citizen participation, decentralization, and emergency management related to natural disasters and climate change. Through the Humphrey Fellowship, Oscar aims to better understand US policymaking, institutional response to emergencies, and municipal governance best practices.
Trang Hoang is a development practitioner with more than a decade of experience working with civil society organizations in Vietnam. Trang currently serves as a Program Officer with Oxfam Vietnam, where she works to empower women and marginalized communities to claim their rights and provide independent scrutiny of government and business actions. She also coordinates the “Fair Finance Vietnam” coalition, which works to improve financial options for local communities. Trang holds a Master's degree in Development Studies and a Bachelor's degree in External Economics. Through the Humphrey Fellowship, Trang plans to enhance her knowledge of community engagement, gender policy analysis and advocacy, research methodologies, and LGBTQ politics. Trang's professional goal is to become a thought leader in good governance with a focus on gender, and to advance inclusive participation of marginalized groups in economic, social, and political spheres.
Manamboba Mitélama Balaka is an Economist and Development Planner working in Togo’s Ministry of Development Planning and Cooperation. He is responsible for developing policies and projects aimed at promoting sustainable development. Manamboba holds several degrees, including a Doctorate in Development Economics from the University of Lomé, an MA in Development Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, and an MA in Development Economics. Manamboba's goals for the Humphrey Fellowship are to strengthen his knowledge of planning and management of development policies and projects, deepen his experience with monitoring and evaluation, and understand US approaches to administrative management at national, regional, and local levels. Overall, Manamboba's goal is to contribute to poverty reduction in Togo through sustainable development strategies.
Enas Mustafa is the head of the general budget development unit at the Ministry of Finance in the Palestinian Territories. In this role, Enas is responsible for fiscal reporting and preparing annual general budgets, ensuring that the Ministry’s plans address citizens’ needs. She also coordinates between the key external and internal technical teams related to fiscal policy through the annual budget strategy to ensure targeting economic development and social equality. Enas has an MA in Applied Statistics from Birzeit University and a BA in Mathematics & Economics. Through the Humphrey Fellowship, Enas aims to enhance her skills in public finance management and budget development. She also aims to better understand international best practices with respect to government investment, project appraisals, and raising public revenues. She will use the knowledge she gains to advance sound fiscal policies for Palestine's public sector.
Haneen Saif is the Deputy Director for Synchronized Withholding Administration and Payment System (SWAPS) at Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue. She previously served as the Deputy Commissioner at the Regional Tax Office of Islamabad. She is responsible for overseeing the development, implementation and expansion of SWAPS, aimed at revolutionizing Pakistan's withholding tax regime. Haneen holds an MS in Engineering Management and a BS in Chemical Engineering. She also volunteers with initiatives to promote girls’ education and women’s empowerment, and to assist internally displaced persons. Through the Humphrey fellowship she aims to learn about data analytics, public policy evaluation and use of GIS to map markets and tax payers, with the goal of broadening the tax base. Haneen will also focus on the administrative structures of US national and state revenue departments, and tax policy formulation.
Marzia Saleem is a civil servant and member of Pakistan Administrative Service. Since the beginning of her career, she has remained a field officer. She holds an MBA in Human Resource Management from NUST University Islamabad and a BBA in Information Technology Management. In her most recent position as Additional Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi she has worked extensively for the eradication of Polio, Dengue and Covid virus in coordination with international organizations. She has initiated several notable projects, one of which is the development of the Model Tehsil Corporate Office in District Sialkot, aiming to eliminate bureaucratic restrictions and streamline processes. Through the Humphrey Fellowship, she aims to learn about effective public policies and processes, about US gender policy, programs for the advancement of marginalized communities and employment opportunities for the differently abled persons. She also aims to learn about data analytics, digitizing public services, and e-governance to advance the service delivery
Duaa Shalan is a Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (G)Z). She has extensive experience in the sustainable development and humanitarian fields, and previously worked with national and international organizations that address the rights of refugees, people with disabilities, and other marginalized communities. Duaa holds an MA in Enterprise System Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. Duaa has a passion for creating opportunities for marginalized groups, including launching a mentorship program in partnership with UN-women to support women micro-entrepreneurs. Duaa plans to leverage the Humphrey fellowship to strengthen her leadership and management skills. She also aims to learn about how technology can improve data collection and analysis, monitoring and evaluation, efficiency, and decision-making in humanitarian and development programs.
Lusine Simonyan is the Director of the Child Development Foundation in Armenia, a non-profit organization focused on improving social services and providing assistance to children and families. In her work, she collaborates closely with local self-governments and Ministries, and brings her grassroots experiences and insights into policy debates. She holds a Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Vanadzor Teachers’ Training Institute. As a Humphrey fellow, Lusine aims to deepen her knowledge of public administration and policy design and implementation, in order to enhance how civil society organizations and government agencies collaborate on social justice and child welfare. She will focus on NGOs institutional development and financial sustainability issues. She also hopes to improve her skills related to nonprofit leadership and management, strategic planning, and financial stewardship and sustainability.