Iraq Leadership Fellows

Dr. Nussaibah Younis is the founder of the Iraq Leadership Fellows Program. Dr. Younis is an expert on Iraq politics, foreign policy and economy, and writes policy-oriented research on Iraqi affairs for the global think tank Chatham House. She is passionate about enabling young Iraqis to transform their country.

Dr. Mac Skelton is Director of the Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS) based at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. While at IRIS he has overseen donor-funded projects on conflict and politics in Iraq. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Johns Hopkins University, where he specialized in medical anthropology.

Adnan J. Sadik directs the Iraq Leadership Fellows Program, where he plans and oversees the various activities of the program. Adnan managed many projects in different areas. He is a Software Engineer with two Bachelor’s degrees. Adnan speaks native Arabic, fluent English, and basic Spanish.

Zainab Hamid Mera is a Senior Program Officer at the Institute for Regional and International Studies at the American University of Iraq. She manages the Iraq Leadership Fellows Program. She speaks native Arabic and fluent English.

Maha Haddad is a Senior Project Manager and Controller at the KAS Syria/Iraq Office, based in Beirut, and is the main coordinator for the foundation’s projects in Iraq and Syria since 2016. She is a KAS contact person for the Iraq Leadership Fellows Program. She speaks native Arabic and fluent English.

Lara Rayshouny is a Project Manager at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) Syria/Iraq office, based in Beirut. She is a KAS contact person for the Iraq Leadership Fellows Program. She speaks native Arabic and fluent English.