Class of 2021 Bios

Nora Al-Jindi is a passionate educator with over a decade of experience in the field of business academia. She is an advocate for the integration of technology in education to better prepare graduates when joining the workforce. She is currently the Marketing Program Chair at Dar Al-Hekma University in Saudi Arabia.

In her efforts to bridge the gap between theory and practice, she interacts closely with the Business Community to promote the practical side of marketing, allowing students to apply studied theoretical concepts. Through her work as the X-Culture Regional Executive Director, she pioneered the way for Saudi universities to join the X-Culture platform and engage students in virtual global teams.

Inspired by the dynamic possibilities in educational technology, she obtained a MSc in Digital Age Learning and Education Technology (DALET) Degree at Johns Hopkins University. She also holds an MBA from the American University of Beirut. Nora is an active member of her community and was thus rewarded the volunteer award of the year from AlOula Organization, the first non-profit in Saudi Arabia, for her continuous valuable support.

Laura Alonso has an extensive and unique cross-sector career promoting democracy, transparency, and citizen participation. She has previously held positions as Head of the Anti-corruption Office in Argentina, twice elected member of the National Congress, and CEO of the domestic chapter of Transparency International. Because of her leadership in integrity and anti-corruption policies, Argentina reached its highest score in the Index of Transparency International in 2020.

Laura co-chaired the G20 Anti-corruption Working Group, and she was chief of the official delegation to the OECD Anti-Bribery Working Group. She has been a British Chevening Scholar, an Eisenhower Fellow, a Draper Hills Fellow at Stanford University, and most recently a Regan-Fascell Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy. She became a WEF Young Global Leader in 2012, and she received a global award from Vital Voices in 2008. In 2020, she was portrayed in the book "Vital Voices: 100 Women Using their Power to Empower." In 2015, she published a book called “Circo Kirchner" and since October 2020 has been writing a weekly newsletter called “Mi Lado B” and a book manuscript about her crossover experience from civil society into electoral politics and policymaking. With hundreds of thousands of Twitter and Facebook followers, she continues to influence the political landscape.

Rayhan Asat is an Uyghur human rights attorney. A graduate of Harvard Law School and former anti-corruption attorney at a major U.S. law firm, Rayhan specializes in international human rights law and compliance with best business practices. Her legal and policy work centers around enforcing international human rights norms, civil liberties, curtailing forced labor, and promoting corporate accountability. She advised the World Bank and OECD to design Human-Centered Business Integrity Principles. She works with civil society, diplomats, lawmakers, and businesses to address human rights concerns, especially the atrocities in Xinjiang including her own brother Ekpar Asat’s enforced disappearance.

She has been featured in various media outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, Foreign Policy, CNN, Deutsche Welle and Al-Jazeera among others. She is a sought-after speaker and has testified before the Canadian Parliament and will present at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in June 2021. Rayhan’s writing has also been published in many legal journals, and her opinions have appeared in Foreign Policy, NBC News, The Hill Magazine, and other prominent publications. She is a senior fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights and is also the founder and president of the American Turkic International Lawyers Association.

At Harvard, she co-taught a seminar on social problems in emerging markets and she continues to mentor students.

Sasha Brown is an expert in the ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI). She helped build the Ethics and Society team at DeepMind—Google’s world leading AI research lab—and now works to ensure that DeepMind’s research, and the applications it powers, have a positive impact on humanity.

She has stewarded the ethical analysis of groundbreaking machine learning projects and led research on topics such as privacy, transparency and fairness; AI morality and values; governance and accountability; misuses and unintended consequences of AI development; and economic impact of AI. Her work—which draws on aspects of moral philosophy, political history, economics, and computer science—aims to understand how technical advances will impact society, and create and implement ways to reduce risk.

Alberto de Belaunde is a former congressman from the Republic of Peru. He chaired the Congressional Climate Change Committee and was part of the Justice and Human Rights Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.

Alberto was the second openly LGBTQ+ congressman in Peru's history. In 2019, he received the Victory Institute Tammy Baldwin Breakthrough Award for his work for equality.

Alberto is a lawyer and teaches Legal Ethics at Pacific University. He has a master's degree in Environmental Management and completed an executive program in Economics of Sustainable Development and Climate Change. He was part of the Global Competitiveness Leadership Program at Georgetown University and part of the Global Shapers Community. He is part of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leader Community.

He has published two books: "Beyond the Rainbow" (2017) and "I do not withdraw anything!" (2019). He writes a weekly column on the website jugodecaigua.pe.

Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram is an attorney-at-law and social activist, working with NGOs on developing a democratic civil society and protecting the rule of law in the Polish justice system. She is Co-Founder of the Justice Defense Committee and the Free Courts Foundation, both of which monitor and archive political pressure on judges and lawyers, giving them legal aid. She regularly participates in legislative processes in Poland's Parliament as an expert in parliamentary Constitutional Governance and Reform of the Justice System groups. She also presents on the state of the Polish justice system to the European Commission.
 
Since 2017, Sylwia has led the organization of many demonstrations and protests in defense of the rule of law and repressed judges. She represents national and sexual minorities, refugees, victims of violence, and police brutality before courts. She also represents Supreme Court judges before the EU Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights in key proceedings on the independence of courts and judges. She is the originator and executor of the “Constitution Week” civic campaign, an educational project held regularly in schools throughout Poland, for raising Constitutional and human rights awareness among children.
 
Sylwia holds degrees in legal studies from the University of Warsaw.

Orr Hirschauge is a journalist and news executive. He currently works as Chief Digital Officer at Israel’s largest daily newspaper, Israel Hayom. He was the first Israeli to join The Wall Street Journal as a technology staff reporter and the first executive editor of CTech, a now well-established Israeli English-language technology news site. His work on the juxtaposition of surveillance technologies and regional geopolitics is cited in policy papers and best-selling books.

In 2016, Orr led an investigative project resulting in a series of reports on Israel’s use of predictive algorithms to stop terror attacks. He reported extensively on the growing footprint of China-based entities in Israeli tech and on Israeli export of surveillance technologies and spy services, both now subjects of intense policy debates and media coverage. Orr’s bylines appear in WSJ, NPR, Haaretz, and China’s Caixin, among other outlets.

Udo Jude Ilo is the Senior Director for Advocacy at the Centre for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC). In this role Udo sets and drives the global advocacy goal of the organization aimed at amplifying the voices of communities caught in conflict and promoting global norms and practices to ensure optimal protection of civilians.

Udo Jude Ilo has close to two decades experience working in the democracy space, driving social innovation and influencing change. Udo’s focus has been about creativity and finding new tools for democracy promotion. As the Nigerian representative for the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Udo provided strategic leadership in opening the frontier of governance and civic space in Nigeria through grant making, advocacy and network building. He also led OSIWA’s election work in 10 focus countries, providing advocacy support to elevate issues affecting the electoral process in these countries. Udo was involved in the design and roll-out of the West Africa Elders Platform which is a standing platform of former heads of state in West Africa committed to using their influence to promote good governance, conflict resolution and democracy in the region.

In the last 19 years, he has worked to support a framework of democratic accountability that allows for the primacy of citizens voices through his professional roles and writings as a social commentator. Udo has led advocacy delegations to Brussels, London, United Nations and Washington DC. He has also testified as a witness before the United State Congress. Udo has built up skills in philanthropy management, organizational strategy development and international advocacy. He has about 10 published works and more than 60 op eds. He has been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and the Huffington post. Udo is an Eisenhower Fellow, Stanford, and a Draper Hills Fellow. He also the Founder of the Natasha Ilo Foundation, and has spent the last couple of years reflecting on loss, resilience and overcoming pain. His poetry collection ‘Kasie’ (2021) focuses on these themes.

Abdi Ismail has been working in the humanitarian field for 12 years in various management capacity with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Currently, he is the Head of Mission for ICRC in Aden, Yemen, where he leads the protection and humanitarian assistance response in Southern Yemen and is in charge of managing the security of ICRC staff, assets, and operations in a very volatile security environment.

Abdi’s interests are understanding current conflicts and their broader security implications for the greater Middle East and Horn of Africa. He has been invited to share his knowledge and experience of Yemen at the think tank ISPI, the Centre for Public Leadership, Harvard School of Public Health, and at the United Nations Security Council Experts on Yemen.

As an Edward S. Mason fellow at Harvard University, Abdi obtained a master’s in Public Administration at the Kennedy School of Government, where he has been an Emirates Leadership Initiative Fellow at the School’s Centre for Public Leadership (CPL); member of the Carr Center's Emerging Human Right Leaders, as well as co-editor for the Journal of Middle Eastern Politics and Policy. Abdi continues his engagement with Harvard Kennedy School as Alumni Council Member at the CPL.

Muthanna Khriesat is Chief Operating Officer of Questscope, an international non-governmental organization committed to social development through youth empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa region. Muthanna oversees institutional partnerships locally in Jordan, regionally in MENA, and internationally. In Jordan he guides collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Social Development and the Department of Public Security. He is responsible for strategic planning and development of technological and financial infrastructure, with special emphasis on cooperation with UN, EU, and US agencies for initiatives with Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordan youth.

Muthanna holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Princess Sumaya University of Technology in Amman, Jordan.

Ömür Kula Çapan is a well-known creative strategist and experience designer in Turkey who successfully managed pioneering companies like Tribal WW and R/GA Istanbul, leading the digital transformation of Turkey’s biggest brands and companies, and helped build Turkey’s first and most successful digital-only bank, Enpara. She is also a sought-after keynote speaker, columnist, and a guest lecturer for many universities.

Alongside her successful career in the business world, her true passion lies in channeling this creativity for the transformation of societies for a better world. She has participated in the foundation of the Civic Involvement Projects of Sabanc? University, and helped to take the model nation-wide with the Open Institute’s funding to other universities. She designed award-winning alternative curriculums for refugee, Kurdish, and at-risk children. Her belief and strong drive for educational reform and change that is based on grass-roots activation has given her a seat at the most prestigious board of the Educational Reform Initiative. Her idealistic views and hard work have also won her the chair for being the youngest president of the Advertising Foundation, whose focus is to nurture talent for the industry.

Elinda Labropoulou is an award-winning multi-platform storyteller. She is an internationally published writer, senior broadcaster, and presenter with extensive reporting from global hotspots for leading media including CNN, The Washington Post, BBC, Al Jazeera, and Deutsche Welle. Working for CNN out of Greece, she has produced, directed, and presented news and analysis on the country’s financial crisis, the rise of political extremism, and the ongoing global refugee crisis.

Her extensive research and multifaceted storytelling are visible in diverse projects including the Washington Post’s A New Age of Walls, which won the US National Press Foundation’s 2017 Innovation Award. In 2020 she produced Life in a Camp, a pioneering CNN-Imperial War Museum immersive experience on display at the London museum. A multilingual commentator, she has given numerous lectures on the role of international media in crisis coverage.

A dynamic environmental advocate, Elinda is the founder and CEO of Villa Rossa Area, a sustainable development hospitality company in a less explored part of Greece. The company promotes cultural and environmental awareness in the local community through education and investments in green projects. Elinda is the founder of a boutique media production company and is producing a multi-platform global documentation of COVID-19 and its socio-psychological impact.

Sri Misra is a serial entrepreneur shaping the future of decentralized finance through aarnâ protocol, an AI-crypto platform creating the next generation web3 asset management stack to democratize access to the rapidly evolving world of digital assets. As the founder of Milk Mantra, India’s first VC-funded agri-food startup, Sri championed a new-age ethically sourced premium dairy products, gaining recognition as a practitioner of conscious capitalism. His innovative work has earned global media attention and features in top business school case studies.

Previously a key member of the Tata Group’s elite TAS, Sri gained international experience in London and Johannesburg and spearheaded M&A in the consumer food & beverage sector. He has segued across roles & countries, accruing significant expertise in consumer markets, finance and technology.

Sri has frequently collaborated with India’s leading government policy think tank, contributing to national projects like a blockchain-based agri-stack presented to the Prime Minister. An Aspen Institute and Yale World Fellow, Sri continues to drive economic innovation while pursuing his passion for the high altitude outdoors, seeking to scale new peaks.

James Mwangi is Founder of Climate Action Platform – Africa (CAP-A), a not-for-profit organisation that aims to help Africa achieve broad-based economic growth through climate action leadership. Prior to founding CAP-A, James served as Executive Director of the Dalberg Group, a global collection of impact-driven businesses that work to build a more inclusive and sustainable world where all people, everywhere, can reach their fullest potential. James joined Dalberg as a founding member in 2002, started Dalberg’s first Africa office (Johannesburg) in 2007, and subsequently served as Global Managing Partner of Dalberg’s consulting business, guiding the formalization of its structure and governance as a global firm. From 2014, James has served as Executive Director of the Dalberg Group, supporting the growth of new businesses and coordinating the efforts of all Dalberg entities in pursuit of a shared mission. He led the acquisition or incubation of several integral elements of the Dalberg Group which today operates from locations in more than 25 countries around the world, employing over 500 professionals.

James holds a degree in economics from Harvard University and is a 2009 Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellow of the African Leadership Institute, a 2013 Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and a 2021 Yale World Fellow. He currently serves on the boards of the Skoll Foundation, One Acre Fund, Old Mutual Limited, The Global Centre for Pluralism and the Nairobi International Financial Centre Authority.

Korto Reeves is currently the global Head of Women's Rights in ActionAid International, a social justice federation in 43 countries. Over the last 13 years, she has worked with the organization in several positions, including Country Director in Liberia from 2010 to 2016. She has 20 years of professional experience working across Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and with USAID and UNDP.

She is an African feminist and strategic civil society leader in Liberia and on the continent. A significant contributor to shaping feminist discourse on multiple and intersecting issues in the region, she is a member of the Urgent Action Fund-Africa and Sustainable Development Institute boards. As a survivor of the Liberian 14-year civil war, she uses her creative writing and storytelling experience to call for visibility on social justice issues and promote healing. She recently published a book of poetry titled Inappropriate Medley: Stories of the Patriarchy, Pleasure, and Redemption. Her academic research on social change in Liberia influences movement-building within women's rights and other movements. She is a Co-Founder of the Liberia Feminist Forum.

Korto has a master's degree in Sustainable Development from the School for International Training.

Livia Sobota is a Brazilian career diplomat with nearly two decades of experience in public service. She heads the International Cooperation Unit at the Brazilian Embassy in Colombia, focusing her work on that country’s most vulnerable regions. She also served at the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations in New York.

Livia represented Brazil in several UN negotiations on sustainable development, as well as in cross-regional initiatives on humanitarian assistance and building peaceful, just, and inclusive societies. Notably, Livia was one of the three leading negotiators for 130+ developing countries during the 2016 review of the UN Development System. Previously, she worked as an advisor to the Office of the President’s Foreign Policy Unit, and contributed to national policies regarding internet governance and connectivity at the Office of the President’s Information Society Unit and the Ministry of External Affairs.

Her career started as an advisor at São Paulo’s City Council and State Assembly. She earned a law degree at the University of São Paulo and graduated at the Preparatory Course for the Diplomatic Career at Instituto Rio Branco. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in peacebuilding at the Los Andes University.