BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mark J. Rozell
Mark J. Rozell is the founding dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He holds the Ruth D. and John T. Hazel Chair in Public Policy. He is the author or coauthor of 13 books and editor of 20 additional books on various topics in U.S. government and politics, including the Presidency, religion and politics, media and politics, southern politics, and interest groups in elections.
He has testified before Congress on executive privilege issues and has lectured extensively in the U.S. and abroad. In recent years, he has lectured in Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Macau, Poland, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and Vietnam. Rozell is a contributing writer for the Washington Post.
His column on Virginia politics appears in Local Opinions. Since 1994, he has served as a judge for the Gerald R. Ford Award Committee for Outstanding Reporting on the Presidency for the Gerald R. Ford Foundation.
His areas of research include, Elections, Federalism/State and Local Government, Presidency, Public Law, Religion and Politics, Separation of Powers (U.S.) & U.S. Politics.
Dr. Sardar Aziz, Ph.D.
Sardar Aziz, Ph.D., policy analyst, columnist, and consultant. Former senior advisor Kurdistan parliament/ Iraq. I am writing both in English and Kurdish. Speaking Arabic, English, and Kurdish.
I have worked with a large number of businesses, NGOs, international organizations, and think tanks. Published extensively on Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq, the US-Iraq relationship, China-Iraq relations, and Iraq's regional relations with Turkey and Iran.
My areas of interest are including: party politics, institutions, civil-military relationships, big power, and regional power relations. I am well versed in the history, social dynamics, and political landscape of the area, which enables to decipher the political, social, and cultural codes.
I earned my doctorate at the Department of Government, University College Cork/Ireland. Many of my writings have been translated into other languages, including Arabic, Italian,
French, and Kurdish.
Dr. Oksan Bayulgen, Ph.D.
Oksan Bayulgen is the department chairperson and professor at the University of Connecticut. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2003. She teaches a range of comparative politics courses, including introduction to comparative politics, politics of Russia and the former Soviet Union, comparative democratization,
foreign policy of Russia, politics of oil, introduction to non-western politics and sustainable energy.
Her research focuses on the political economy of energy and democratization in the post-Soviet and the Middle East regions. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Azerbaijan, Russia, Norway, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. She is
currently working on a project analyzing the politics of renewable energy development in Turkey.
Her areas of research include, Comparative Politics, Political Economy, Politics of the Post-Soviet region and International Relations
Dr. Scott McLean
Dr. Scott McLean is Professor of Political Science at Quinnipiac University, and Faculty Directory of the University Honors Program. He earned his Ph.D. at Rutgers University. Professor McLean has a national reputation as a leader in civic education. In 2018, he was
recognized with the Quinnipiac Center for Excellence in Teaching Award. He currently serves his term as President of the New England Political Science Association.
McLean's research expertise is in the fields of national elections, public opinion, political thought, and civic education. His essays and expert analysis appear frequently in state, national and international media, such as the New York Times, the London Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, CNN, Fox News, Hartford Courant, Newsweek and TIME magazine.
Farhad H. A. Mamshai
Farhad H. A. Mamshai, currently pursuing his Doctorate at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Arlington, VA, USA, brings nearly a decade of teaching experience from both public and private universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
He has authored numerous academic articles focusing on Iraqi and Kurdish politics, conflict, and environmental security. His doctoral research concentrates on the intersection of climate change and communal conflict in northern Iraq, specifically in the disputed territories and the Kurdistan Region. He explores the influence of environmental stress on social and communal tensions, analyzing its impact on the human security of Iraqi communities.
Farhad previously held the positions of Editor-in-Chief and Research Fellow at the Kurdistan Crisis and Conflict Research Center (KCCRC) from 2015 to 2021. Currently, he serves as an editorial member of the Community Change Journal (CCJ) at Virginia Tech.
In 2011, Farhad won the KRG’s HCDP scholarship, and he has recently been chosen to attend the 2024 Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR) at Syracuse University in New York. This prestigious program is sponsored by the American Political
Science Association (APSA) and the Consortium for Qualitative Research Methods (CQMR).
Abdurrahman Ahmad Wahab
Abdurrahman A. Wahab is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Tishk International University in Erbil, Iraq. His research has been in the humanities and social sciences, focusing on educational policy and program evaluation, sociology of ethnic and national identities and nation-state building, and literary and cultural studies. Specializing in the sociology of education, Dr. Wahab’s work addresses critical issues of social justice, policymaking, and leadership in educational, social,
and political systems.
He is proficient in Kurdish, Arabic, and English, and also speaks Farsi. Dr. Wahab is the author of three books written in Kurdish and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles that explore educational issues in the Kurdistan Region. His research adopts a socio-political lens to analyze how education and educational systems influence social positions and interactions. His Ph.D. dissertation delves into
the policy frameworks of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and examines the challenges within the Region’s formal educational system.
Dr. Wahab earned his Ph.D. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto in Canada. He is also a Fulbright alumnus from Iraq, having received his Master’s degree at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
Hla Mohamed
Hla Mohamed is completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Connecticut, majoring in political science with a concentration in public policy, and preparing to enter law school. Hla has a strong passion for promoting fairness and equity in her community and beyond.
She has a passion and unwavering commitment to social justice. Hla's experience in legislation and research has deepened her desire to pursue a career in law and public policy. At the moment, she is interning at the Connecticut General Assembly with State Representative Maryam Khan, where she conducts bill research, coordinates community
outreach events, and gains firsthand experience in the legislative process.
Hla loves to take on leadership opportunities whenever they arise. Currently, she has co-founded the University of Connecticut, the first-ever Muslim student-led organization for Muslim women. The vision behind this organization is to support and encourage Muslim women to reach their goals. Additionally, Hla is entering her third year of leading UConn's Black Muslim Association.
Her love for community and advocacy has allowed her to use her skills to better serve members of her community.