ABOUT THE FELLOWSNazmul Haque (2023-2024)
In addition to conventional infrastructure projects, Mr. Haque played a lead role in designing and implementing several ‘Access to Energy’ programs in the country that provided clean energy, water, and cooking solutions to millions of rural people and reduced indoor air pollution and respiratory diseases among women and children. In recent years, he worked on promoting energy efficiency across multiple sectors and mobilized US$ 500m+ to support industries and buildings in adopting clean technologies and reducing their CO2 footprints. Mr. Haque is an international coach on project and climate finance and has consultancy experiences in several developing countries of Asia and Africa. He delivered speeches and presented papers at many seminars/conferences across Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America. Mr. Haque is an Edward S. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management and an MCMPA candidate at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. A Summa Cum Laude in his class, Mr. Haque also has an MBA from North South University, Bangladesh. He loves traveling, cooking, pottery-making and is a proud father of two beautiful children – Zayed and Zubi. Laila Khondkar (2022-2023)
Laila has significant experience in working at local, national and global levels on policy and advocacy. She writes regularly on child rights and other development issues and also speaks up on child rights violations through active engagement with print and electronic media. Laila has completed MSc Control of Infectious Diseases from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Post Graduate Diploma: Children, Youth and Development from Institute of Social Studies, the Nederlands. She is presently studying Mid-Career Master in Public Administration/Mason Fellows Program at Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Learn more about Laila below! Video created by Rick Brotman '73.
Engineer Zeina Majdalani completed the MC/MPA master’s degree program at Harvard Kennedy School. She is originally from Lebanon and currently residing in Beirut. Zeina has been recently elected as board member of the Harvard Alumni Association of Lebanon. As part of the office of the Prime Minister in Lebanon, Mrs. Majdalani currently works on various infrastructure/development projects related to the water/energy sectors, as a senior economic expert. In parallel to her work, she is a lecturer on sustainable engineering at LAU University, including courses for the Honors Program Section. Mrs. Majdalani is a founder and current President of the Lebanese Women Engineers committee; and represents Lebanon in the Arab Women Engineers Committee. Zeina has a BE in civil/environmental engineering, a master’s in engineering management, and an MBA from the American University of Beirut; as well as an international diploma from ENA school/France. Her publications include “Sustainability in the Construction Industry: A Lebanese Case Study.” Global Thinkers Forum has selected Zeina for the category Leadership/Women Empowerment and shortlisted her for the Award of Excellence.Learn more about Zeina below! Video created by Rick Brotman '73. |
Nadia Rehman (2019-2020)
Nadia is currently working on national Covid response as the Tech and Innovation Advisor to the Ministry of Health, Pakistan.
She has worked extensively on enhancing regional economic cooperation with the aim to create geo-political stability in the region. She has advised the government of Pakistan on free trade negotiations with China, Iran, Afghanistan and other key trading partners. Nadia served as Pakistan’s Trade and Investment Diplomat in Prague where she was a part of the core team which negotiated Pakistan’s access to European Union’s scheme of Generalized System of Preferences.
Nadia is a social and political activist. She strongly believes in expanding the space for women’s participation in economic and political spheres. She has headed the local operations for Iqra Fund, a not for profit organization that works on girls’ education in remote and conservative tribal areas of Pakistan.
Nadia completed her Master in Public Administration with a concentration in Development Economics from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She also holds a Master in Artificial Intelligence and Distributed Systems from Duke University. While at Harvard, Nadia was elected as the President of Pakistan Students Group and the Co-chair of South Asia Engagement Forum.
Roohi Abdullah (2018-2019)
Roohi has 12 years of experience in International Development coupled with versatile skills set based on operations and sector work experience with a strong Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS), Urban, Energy, and Infrastructure sector focus, including nine years with the World Bank. Most of her work experience has been cross-sectoral within the larger scope of infrastructure, ranging from finance, poverty, institutional reforms, water utility management, housing, urban upgrading, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), environment and carbon finance. In addition, she has extensive operational experience in Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen, West Bank and Gaza, Pakistan, Albania, Romania, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. She has a well-rounded skills set based on research, operations and project work, having worked in WB project operations cycle from conceptualization, design, approval, implementation and supervision and subsequently evaluations.
Natasha Jehangir Khan (2018-2019)