International Fellows Alumni

Ms. Merhebi has been committed to public service since 1992, working as a lawyer.  She is an active member of both the North Lebanon Bar Association and the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering.  She is a founding member of the Arabic Women Lawyers’ Association.  As an educator, she spreads human rights awareness in schools and universities.  She hopes to expand her knowledge and experience during her fellowship year in order someday to improve the human rights climate of Lebanese society.

Ms. Molina holds two bachelor’s degrees, in law and in psychology. She is a judge in Family Court in San Salvador. She also serves as consultant to the Congress in matters relating to women and family. She has worked with various organizations in her country, such as the Women Lawyers Association and the Salvadorian Judges Association. She is involved in the protection of children’s rights and serves on multidisciplinary teams in family court cases.   She also conducts police department training to raise awareness with regard to family issues. Ms. Molina has collaborated with the Supreme Court of El Salvador as a contributor to its journals. She has presented at numerous law conferences in her country. Additionally she has taught civil and family law in various universities. She works with leaders of her community in order to prevent domestic violence and child abuse. She has made appearances on television and radio programs to discuss these issues.  During her fellowship year, Ms. Molina would like to learn more about family services in the United States and volunteer work, in order to introduce new ideas and create community programs that will impact her community.

Mr. Thabani Nyoni is a currently coordinator for the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association where he initiated the concept of partnership for transformation, bringing together residents, local government, and other community based organizations through the ‘Township Cleanup Campaign’ aimed at encouraging stakeholder participation in local governance and service delivery.  He has served as Programs Manager at Bulawayo Agenda Trust, a civic society organization advocating human rights, civic participation, and democratic governance.  His work included design and implementation of advocacy campaigns, and capacity building.  He has implemented the ‘Local Voices Project’ to provide a platform for the urban fringes and rural communities to exchange views, ideas, and opinions as well as obtain information on the current socio-economic and political crises in Zimbabwe.  This effort had a profound impact on the country’s 2008 election process.  He received a master’s degree in development studies from Midlands State University of Zimbabwe. During his fellowship year, Mr. Nyoni will focus on public policy development, policy advocacy strategies, stakeholder management, cost/benefit analysis and decision modeling, research methods, and information and communications technology management.

Ms. Beaudelaine Pierre received a post graduate degree in population and development studies from the University of Haiti.  As the editor of ANAYIZZ magazine, an international Haitian women’s magazine she addresses the challenges faced by Haitian women within the community.  She also serves as the director of research for a private communications firm Haiti Sonde.  Prior to this, she was involved in programs related to children’s rights, gender affairs, and migrant rights.   She is also a university professor, a published author, and is involved in research on minority languages.  Ms. Pierre was an award recipient from the Department of Modern Languages at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, March 2009.  Despite the significant role Haitian women play in society, she has found that they are underrepresented in all aspects of policy making.  During her fellowship year, Ms. Pierre will focus on gender equality, the role of women in the media, sustainable development, leadership, civic participation, and the environment.

Mr. K. Ravi Ramachandran has been employed by the Indian Revenue Service for the past fifteen years, working for the Income Tax Department as Assistant Commissioner then as Deputy Director of Income Tax (Investigation).  He is currently on Central Appointment as Director of the Government of India’s Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, in New Delhi.  He manages the national flagship program  Mid Day Meal Scheme in Schools, the world’s largest school feeding program, and Sarva Shikhsa Abhiyan(Education for All), where the fields of education and health converge. He earned a bachelor of engineering degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, India.  During his fellowship year, Mr. Ramachandran will pursue a master’s of public affairs degree with a focus on leadership, public governance, implementation of social sector programs, quantitative methods, monitoring and evaluation, and promotion of education, health, and poverty alleviation.

Ms. Saiyora Saimurodova is currently a program specialist with the USAID Local Governance and Citizen Participation Project at the Urban Institute in Tajikistan where she provides planning, budgeting, coordination, and monitoring support to the project’s Citizen Participation & Media component focusing on capacity building of local government systems in Tajikistan.  She has coordinated programs at The International Foundation for Elections Systems (IFES), where she worked closely with political parties and election commissions in preparation for Parliamentarian and Presidential elections, and at CARE International, where she worked on the project “Reduction of Violence against Women” in rural areas to promote awareness on basic human rights, education, health, etc.  She received a master’s degree in sociology from Hyderabad Central University, India.  During her fellowship year, Ms. Saimurodova will focus on civic participation in local governance, conflict resolution, public finance, and urban management.

Mr. Mitter Sain has worked in a number of departments and ministries and handled a diverse portfolio of technical, legal, and administrative functions in his 22 years of service to the Government of India.  In the Ministry of Water Resources he developed mathematical and statistical models for peak reservoir capacity, water availability, risk analysis, dam safety, flood prediction, etc.  He has served in various ministries including the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Statistics  He currently serves as Deputy Secretary and Director of the Central Vigilance Commission where he conducts vigilance inquiries and investigations of Government officials. He received a master’s degree in mathematical science and statistics from the University of Delhi. During his fellowship year, Mr. Sain will pursue a master’s of public affairs degree with focus on human resource management, public policy formulation, service delivery systems, and international cooperation on the issues of social health, environment, poverty, economics, and economic conflict resolution.

Ms. Nilar Win Shwe’s career is steeped in humanitarian aid and public service.  She has delivered workshops in human resources, counseling, appreciative leadership, community-based first aid, and development management.  She currently serves as human resources manager for Save the Children in Myanmar, where she develops and implements their HR development plan and change management process, conducts staff training and development activities, and implements, monitors, and evaluates their performance management system.  After cyclone Nargis struck in 2008, Ms. Win Shwe played a key role in coordinating regional emergency response activities and led staff deployment and recruitment for emergency response volunteers involved in relief activities.  Her work experience also includes positions in health and education development.  She received a master’s of science in zoology from the University of Yangon, Myanmar. During her fellowship year, Ms. Win Shwe will focus on human resources management and development, appreciative leadership, change management, advocacy, and capacity building.

Mr. Moo Jo Son started his career as a public servant in the Ministry of Environment, focused on natural environment conservation policy such as protection of endangered species and designation of ecosystem conservation areas.  He currently serves as deputy director of the Senior Civil Service Policy Division of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, where he is responsible for establishment and implementation of national policies on the Senior Civil Service, and human resources management.  In this position he has noted that, though the problems of immigrants in South Korea are not yet seriously considered, immigration is steeply increasing along with the country’s rapid economic growth.  Therefore, the question of how South Korea’s government responds to the growing immigrant population promises to be an important issue for some years to come, and now is the time to prepare effective measures.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Korea University in Seoul.  During  his fellowship year, Mr. Son will focus on human resources management, policies for racial equality and equal opportunity, and promoting cultural diversity in civil service.

Mr. Vichet Kun Than has worked domestically and internationally in the fields of administration, finance, logistics & procurement for over 18 years, and program facilitation with organizations such as Medicine Sans Frontiere (Doctors without Boarders), Care International, Inter Tek Co. Ldt., and several United Nations agencies.  He currently serves as chief of operations and sub-grant manager for the USAID Health System Strengthening Project, implemented by University Research Co. LLC in Phnom Penh, where he provides training to government counterparts and NGO local partners, develops monitoring and supervising tools to ensure grantee compliance with donor requirements, performs internal and external audits, and monitors finance, procurement, budget management, administrative, and personnel procedures.   He received a master’s degree in business administration from Norton University in Cambodia.  During his fellowship year, Mr. Than will focus on modern human resources management policies and practices, developing transparency in public and private institutions, and organizational development.

Mr. Stanley Aloysius Adrabo received a master's in public administration and management from Uganda Management Institute, as well as a postgraduate diploma in public administration, from the Institute of Public Administration in Makerere, Uganda. Currently, he serves as Chief Administrative Officer for the APAC District Local Government where he is the chief executive and accounting officer responsible for management of government programs. During his fellowship year, Mr. Adrabo will focus on public policy and administration, leadership in a multi-cultural environment, and consultancy, monitoring, and evaluation skills.

Mr. Marc Amblard received a bachelor's of science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois. Currently, he serves as the Deputy Director for Administration at the National Security Agency where he supervises and monitors all administrative duties including personnel, budget and finance, and training, motor-pool, and ICT. Mr. Amblard is also the owner and CEO of Atlas Gas in Morovia, Liberia, a company that introduced LPG cooking gas as an alternative fuel source to consumers in Liberia. During his fellowship year, Mr. Amblard will focus on law enforcement, human rights, and public administration as he is in preparation to become the Inspector General of the Liberian Police within the next five years.

Ms. Avellano is an alternative lawyer who represents children in the legal system in the Philippines. She works with a multi-disciplinary team in case management and after-care programs for these children. She serves as lecturer on laws pertaining to women and children, gender sensitivity, and access to justice. She co-founded the WomenLEAD Foundation, a women’s NGO that provides feminist legal services to victims of gender-based violence. She holds bachelors degrees in law and mass communications as well as a diploma in Children, Youth, and Development. She has worked in the field of women’s and children’s rights protection for more than a decade. During her fellowship year, Ms. Avellano will develop a manual on conducting forensic video interviews of trafficked victims to preserve their testimony and to facilitate better prosecution of trafficking cases.

Mr. Chaudhry is a Senior Superintendent of Police from the Capital City District of Lahore, Pakistan, and serves as Chief of Discipline and Inspection in Lahore. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He has deep interests in the intersections between law and human rights and believes that these are important areas of study for law enforcement officers. In addition to normal police activities, his duties include handling issues such as human rights violations and a recently-introduced bill for the protection of women. During his fellowship year, Mr. Chaudhry will focus on human rights and law and the practical aspects of law implementation.

Mr. Dandayudhapani received a bachelors of science in Mechanical Engineering from the Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering (National Institute of Technology) in Nagpur, India in 1984 and a masters of business administration from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in New Delhi, India in 1993. Mr. Dandayudhapani currently serves as Director in the Department of Fertilizers in the Government of India where he is responsible for the office administration and computation of freight subsidies to the fertilizer units. Earlier, Mr. Dandayudhapani served under the Department of Defense Production in the areas of operations management and materials management for a period of 15 years. Also, he has served in the private sector in the chemical industry for a period of five and a half years in the areas of industrial engineering, and human resource development. During his fellowship year, Mr. Dandayudhapani will pursue a masters of public affairs with a focus in the policy areas of science technology and environment technology, leadership, and community development.

Mr. Arjona Estévez worked at the Human Rights Program of Iberoamerican University from September 2002 to September 2007, serving as its coordinator from July 2005 to September 2007. Since September 2007, he has been a consultant for different NGOs working on topics related to sexual and reproductive rights, freedom of expression, and genocides, among others. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law and has specialized diplomas in human rights from various institutions. During his fellowship year, Mr. Arjona Estévez will focus on international human rights law and international organizations, as well as on NGOs’ strategies to implement human rights law at the national level. In addition he hopes to build on his leadership and management skills while participating in the Fellowship.

Mr. Ajay Gangwar received a bachelors in arts degree from the Bundel Khand University in Jhansi, India in 1985 and a diploma in local government from the International Labor Organization in Turin, Italy in 2007. Mr. Gangwar currently serves as Additional Collector and Additional District Magistrate in Madhya Pardesh, India where he is responsible for maintaining law and order and looking after development activities in rural and urban areas. During his fellowship year, Mr. Gangwar is pursuing a masters of public affairs with a concentration in leadership in land use planning, education, and elections.

Mr. Sudhir Garg holds a bachelor's of science degree in Electrical Engineering from MNIT in Jaipur, India in 1983. He was working as Director in the Ministry of Defense for the Government of India before joining this program and had been looking after procurement of equipment for the Indian Air Force. Mr. Garg had been actively involved in the Scout movement in his country and has interest in mountaineering and ecological travel. He also has eighteen years of working experience with the transport industry, mainly Indian railways, wherein he handled strategic and global issues related to rail transport system. During his fellowship, he is pursuing a Masters of Public Affairs with keen interest in developing a future picture for transport systems for the country enveloping the the future technological and environmental features.

Ms. Bibi Meredovna Hudaykuliyeva received a bachelor's degree in history from Turkmen State University. She has fifteen years of professional work experience at the Institute of Philosophy and Law at the Academy of Turkmenistan and the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights at the President of Turkmenistan. She has been engaged in research on issues of education and the formation of civic initiatives of youth in her home country. Currently, Ms. Bibi Meredovna Hudaykuliyeva works as a consultant to the Internet Access and Training Program/ International Research & Exchanges Board (IATP/IREX) in Turkmenistan where she serves as expert on civic education of youth. During her fellowship year, Ms. Hudaykuliyeva will focus on development of youth civic engagement and participation in the democratic process.

Mr. Shahid Iqbal received a master's degree in sociology from Allama Iqbal Open University and a master's degree in Political Science from the University of Peshawar. Currently, he serves as Assistant Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of Pakistan, an independent and autonomous constitutional body, where he is responsible for promoting democracy and women's participation, especially in the tribal belt. Additionally, Mr. Iqbal has work experience with international organizations such as IFES and UNDP to strengthen democratic processes in Pakistan. During his fellowship year, Mr. Iqbal will focus on human resource management in the public sector, civic engagement, and women's participation in the democratic process.