Project Team
Patrick McNamara, Ph.D., Principal Administrator, has worked locally and internationally with universities, corporations, governments, NGOs, and foundations for over 30 years. He is the Director of the International Studies at UNO. In 2011, he served as a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholar, a program co-funded by US State Department and Government of India, conducting research on philanthropy, water conflicts and social movements. He returns frequently to lead study tours, teach social entrepreneurship to MBA students, conflict resolution to professionals, and sustainable development to peacebuilders, train civil servants on good governance, and work on natural resources management.
Sher Jan Ahmadzai, Co-Principal Administrator, serves as Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at UNO. Sher Jan’s areas of specialty are civil servants’ role in good governance, hydro-diplomacy, and public policy. In cooperation with Dr. McNamara, he has co-led the Center’s projects on capacity building for education sector in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. He served in the Office of President Hamid Karzai of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. As a leading expert on the CASA region, Sher Jan is a regular contributor on BBC and Voice of America on matters concerning the US interests in CASA region.
Richard M. Rossow, Lead Consulting Partner, is a senior adviser and holds the Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at CSIS. In this role, he helps frame and shape policies to promote greater business and economic engagement between the two countries. He joined CSIS in 2014, having spent the previous 16 years working in a variety of capacities to strengthen the partnership between the US and India.
Kartikeya Singh, Ph.D., Deputy Consulting Partner, is deputy director and fellow of the Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at CSIS. At CSIS, he is charged with leading the Wadhwani Chair’s work on India’s states, including pioneering a new project on subnational engagement with India on energy which serves as the template for a new healthcare initiative and provides a model for the educational partnerships database.
Soraya Rahmanzai, Project Coordinator, has been affiliated with the University of Nebraska at Omaha in different capacities over the years. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education and Master of Science in Counseling from University of Nebraska at Omaha.