The American University in Cairo
MISSION
Serve as the leading provider of knowledge and resources for strengthening philanthropic practice in the Arab region.
Pakiname Mamdouh
Senior Manager, Civic Engagement Unit
Pakiname holds an MA degree in Political Science from the Saint Joseph University in Beirut. Her studies have allowed her to develop an in-depth understanding of development needs of the region to complement her professional experience in the field.
She is currently working as the Head of the Civic Engagement Unit, at the John D. Gerhart center at the American University in Cairo. Her work involves developing and advancing the Units’ programs nationally and regionally, and conducting strategic planning including outreach, partnerships, and fundraising. Her main role is leading the efforts of institutionalizing civic education and social change and scaling it both nationally and regionally.
She worked for almost 8 years as a Senior Development Specialist in Charge of Cooperation with European Countries in the Cabinet of the Minister of International Cooperation. As an assistant to the Minister her responsibilities included acting as a coordinator and a focal point with European Countries' Embassies in Egypt, as well as European agencies of development in addition to conducting research in relevance to development aid and cooperation between Egypt and European Countries. She was also responsible for monitoring and assessing development projects carried out with European partners.
Her work at the Ministry – a focal point of Egypt’s bilateral and economic relations – helped her build an insight of the different work systems of Egypt's donors. Besides, liaising between relevant line ministries and the donors’ community helped her maintain connection with multiple donors and international development agencies. Equally important, her work has involved regular representation of the Ministry at events held for coordinating cooperation between Egypt and European Countries, including Joint Committees for economic, scientific and technical cooperation, seminars, forums and conferences. Pakiname was also handling the NGO’s file, which is one of the confidential files at the Ministry, through the coordination with all the concerned authorities regarding the work of the Egyptian and Foreign NGO’s in Egypt.
Her experience at the Cabinet of the Minister of International Cooperation, not only did her job tasks focus on research and analysis but was also entrusted with the preparation of talking points, speeches and all the Minister’s correspondence, as well as providing strategic and technical opinion to the Minister about matters relevant to international development and economic cooperation.
Nada Bahgat
Program Officer
Nada Bahgat is a youth development practitioner, researcher, and cultural anthropologist. Driven by the 2011 Egyptian revolution, Nada decided to blend her roles and interests to empower youth and catalyze social change. With over 8 years of dedicated experience in fostering youth civic engagement and education projects within the Egyptian context, she has made significant contributions to the empowerment of hundreds of Egyptian youth, leveraging her expertise in project design and management. Nada was awarded the Civil Society Leadership Awards in 2021 by the Open Society Foundation.
Nada works as the Lazord Fellowship Program Officer at John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement, and Responsible Business, at the American University in Cairo, where she plays a pivotal role in creating learning journeys for youth for empowerment, growth, and civic participation. Additionally, she serves as an anthropological consultant and previously as a teaching assistant and as a researcher on a couple of projects at the American University in Washington D.C.
Bahgat holds a B.Sc. in Political Science from Cairo University and a master’s degree in Public Anthropology from the American University, in Washington D.C. Bahgat also studied Gender and Anthropology of the Middle East at George Washington University.
Beyond her professional commitments, Nada is a writer and aspiring filmmaker, utilizing her talents to amplify marginalized voices and shed light on pressing social issues. Her passion for writing and filmmaking reflects her dedication to storytelling as a powerful tool for social transformation.
Ayah Munir
Senior Program Specialist
After earning her bachelor degree in Economics and Political Science from Cairo University; Major; Political Science. Ayah Munir entered the development sector, when she started an internship in the Population Council.
After that she started working at the John D. Gerhart Center in 2018. She found her passion in dealing with youth full of enthusiasm and energy. She dealt with hundreds of students throughout various projects. She started as a junior specialist at Tashbeek II Program with the partnership of the United States Institute of Peace. Tashbeek II aimed to engage a cohort of 100 university students in an online course as well as in-person exchange sessions that focused on providing knowledge and concepts in the area of conflict resolution and peaceful thinking.
Then in 2020 she worked as a Senior Specialist at the Strengthening Egypt’s Family Planning Program Youth Competition, which aims to encourage 64 university students in strengthening Egypt’s family planning system and creating family planning awareness through innovative ideas.
In 2022, she started working with the team of the Lazord Fellowship, witnessing the journey of 12 fellows, and in parallel she is now managing the Maan Regional Competition, which holds an annual competition for Egyptian University Students tackling different social causes.