The Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship is delighted to announce the appointment of its third cohort of distinguished senior international fellows. These fellows have been selected based on their extensive experience, knowledge, and values that align with the institute’s mission and mandate. As senior international fellows, they are entrusted with developing initiatives, programs, and activities that align with the institute’s strategic plan and priorities.
Meet the new cohort of distinguished senior international fellows:
Dr. Aruna Rao, a prominent advocate, and practitioner in gender equality, feminist leadership, and organizational transformation, co-founded Gender at Work. With over 40 years of experience in Asia and Africa, she has led global efforts for equality and inclusion. Dr. Rao chaired boards of influential organizations like Oxfam International and the Nobel Women’s Initiative, fostering alliances between feminist groups and development institutions. Dr. Rao will work with the Asfari Institute on knowledge decolonization and processes and resources for localizing knowledge.
Dr. Charlotte Karam is a tenured full professor at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, where she also holds the Ian Telfer Professorship in Inclusive HR Systems. Her work as a scholar-activist contributes to overlapping conversations in leadership, inclusive HR systems, business ethics, leadership development, public policy, and feminist praxis. Dr. Karam will work with the Asfari Institute to introduce the critical dimension of gender equality in the world of work.
Mariana Karkoutly is a legal investigator at Huquqyat, specializing in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. She contributes to case file development and provides training sessions for legal professionals in the Middle East and North Africa. She is a senior fellow at Humanity in Action and serves on the boards of Huquqyat and Guardians of Equality Movement. Karkoutly will work with the Asfari Institute to enhance its impact in engaging with Syrian civil society, with the overarching goal of contributing to the advancement of justice and sustainable and inclusive peace.
Professor Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies and an associate professor of journalism at New York University. His extensive coverage of the Iraq war earned him prestigious journalism awards, including the National Headliner Award and the Arthur Ross Award for distinguished reporting and analysis on foreign affairs. He has also served at the Council on Foreign Relations as an adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies. Prof. Bazzi will play a pivotal role in enhancing global outreach and research-based capacity efforts of civil society organizations connected with the Asfari Institute.
Dr. Saleh El Machnouk, a lecturer in comparative politics at Université Saint-Joseph in Lebanon and a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, specializes in state-building, power-sharing agreements, and constitutional design in ethnically divided democracies. Currently completing his book War after War, he compares postwar state-building experiences in Lebanon, Iraq, Bosnia, and Northern Ireland under foreign supervision. Dr. El Machnouk will be working with the Asfari Institute in an effort to delve into analyzing constitution and governance structures, contributing to the institute’s commitment to fostering good governance and citizenship in the region.