ClassACT HR73 is pleased to welcome our latest Benazir Bhutto Leadership Program Fellow, Waheed Ahmad. ClassACT Chair Marion Dry ‘73 and ClassACT Treasurer George Putnam ‘73 met with Waheed over lunch at the Charles Hotel earlier this month to welcome him and share information about ClassACT. As an Edward S. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management at the Kennedy School, Waheed is a candidate for a Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration.
Over the course of the academic year, we look forward to introducing Waheed to the ClassACT community through in person and online events. Waheed is our first fellow from Afghanistan. To learn more about Waheed and his work, click here.
Waheed Ahmad has more than a decade of experience at the intersection of national security, governance, and development. He served as a senior National Security staff member of the Afghanistan Democratic Government from 2018-2021. During his tenure, he was responsible for strategy and implementation of security sector reforms, and for developing the 2020 Afghanistan National Threat Assessment, among other projects.
Originally from Baghlan, Afghanistan, Waheed’s passion for public service began during his adolescence. In the early days of the Afghanistan democracy, he led many civic activities in his hometown, including the establishment of a library and sponsoring a radio station for women’s voices.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Balkh University in Mazar, Afghanistan and later pursued a Master of Public Administration degree from State University of New York- Binghamton as a Fulbright Scholar. He has worked at every level of the Afghanistan Democratic Government, from sub-national conflict resolution and community engagement with the Ministry of the Interior to empowering sub-national elected bodies and local councils with the Independent Directorate of Local Governance. In his past roles, he worked closely with the United Nations Development Program, the United States and NATO mission in Afghanistan, and the World Bank, as well as other relevant stakeholders. Waheed has also written many articles on Afghanistan’s security and political challenges that have been published in international news outlets, including a chapter on Afghanistan’s implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He has received several awards, including a top honor from the President of Afghanistan for his public service. He is fluent in English, Farsi, Pashto, and Urdu.
Waheed fled Afghanistan after the Taliban forcibly took power during the U.S. withdrawal from the country in 2021. Once in the U.S., he served as Resident Practitioner at the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP) at Binghamton University, focusing on human rights issues in Afghanistan.
