Public Service Fellowships

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIPS

There are many opportunities to develop your career in public service by way of fellowships. These worthwhile programs serve as entry points into government for professionals of almost all career tracks and levels of experience. 

As a starting point, MAPS has compiled and arranged this list of well-known fellowships for the benefit of our members and the general public. Please visit their respective sites below to learn more about what they offer, what they’re looking for, and important application deadlines.

For a more comprehensive search for public service fellowships that extends beyond government, AMAL (Advancing Muslim American Leadership), a non-partisan, public service initiative that cultivates the civic potential of young Muslim Americans, maintains an expansive database of public service-related opportunities to support and encourage careers in NGOs, national and local government, multilateral institutions, social enterprise, and the media.

STUDENTS & YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

The following are a selection of fellowships for students, PhD candidates, post-doctorates, and young professionals.

These selective fellowships build up professional experience or facilitate  entry into specific Federal agencies, Federal or Congressional offices based on area of study or career track, or provide living and learning accommodations to DC-bound young professionals.  

MID-CAREER & SENIOR PROFESSIONALS

The following are a selection of fellowships for mid career or senior professionals to enrich their careers in public service, or enter it for the first time from the private or non-profit sectors.

These selective fellowships invite you to apply your experience, talents, research, or expertise in related areas, toward specific Federal agencies or groups of Federal or Congressional offices.

Muslim Public Service Fellowships

Muslim Public Service Network (MPSN) – Summer Fellowship
Since 1994, the MPSN Fellowship has been a one-of-a-kind summer experience that educates, connects, and inspires talented Muslims to make a difference through public service. Components of the MPSN Summer Fellowship include cooperative living for students and young professionals undertaking summer internships in Washington, D.C., and career mentoring from well-placed MPSN alumni. Through living, learning, and working together in the MPSN residence, fellows build relationships across ideological differences, while the experience includes an eight-week graduate level lecture series on Islam and public ethics.

Congressional Leadership Development Program (CLDP)
Now powered by the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), CLDP provides unique access to networks inside government departments, sectors, support groups and other allies in Washington. CLDP trains fellows to engage with elected officials and public figures in ways that create discourse and influence policy change. Accepted fellows will work with MPAC staff to apply for and secure internships/fellowships on Capitol Hill throughout February and March. The summer program itself lasts 10 weeks.

Leadership & Public Administration

Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF) 
The PMF Program is a flagship leadership development program at the entry level for advanced degree candidates. It was created more than three decades ago by Executive Order and has gone through many changes over the years. The Program attracts and selects the best candidates possible, but is really designed with a narrower focus – developing a cadre of potential government leaders. It provides some sustenance during the first years of employment and encourages development of leadership capabilities. The PMF Program inculcates a lasting bond as well as a spirit of public service, ultimately encouraging and leading to a career in the government.

White House Fellowship
White House Fellowships offer exceptional emerging leaders first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. Selected individuals typically spend a year working as a full-time, paid Fellow to senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking government officials. There are no formal age restrictions. However, the Fellowship program was created to give selected Americans the experience of government service early in their careers. Employees of the Federal government are not eligible unless they are career military personnel.

APSA Congressional Fellowship Program for Political Scientists
The American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellowship gives early to mid-career political scientists an opportunity to learn more about Congress and the legislative process. Office assignments as full-time legislative aides in the House of Representatives and/or Senate for candidates with a PhD completed within the last 15 years or a dissertation near completion, and a scholarly interest in Congress and the policymaking process.

International Leadership Foundation (ILF) Civic Fellowship Program
The International Leadership Foundation Civic Fellowship is a civic leadership development program designed specifically to foster the next generation of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders in public service. ILF Civic Fellowship provides an 8 to 10-week public service internship at federal agencies, scholarships, and a variety of seminars and workshops on civic engagement and career, personal, and leadership development.

Running Start Congressional Fellowship
Semester-long Congressional Fellowship on Capitol Hill with congresswomen and weekly trainings on how to run for office. Fellows intern for a female Member of Congress and learn how to run from women in office and the people who helped them get there. Fellows live together in a house on Capitol Hill, free of charge, and are provided with a living stipend for the semester.

Local Government Management Fellowship (LGMF)
The Local Government Management Fellowship (LGMF) is a career-development opportunity designed to attract recent MPA/MPP (or related programs) graduates to be placed in full-time management-track local government positions. Finalists are selected based on academic performance, demonstrated leadership potential, commitment to public service, communication skills, initiative, creativity, and positive attitude. They then interview for 12-month fellowship appointments at local governments across the country, during which they receive direct mentorship from a senior government leader at the organization.

International Affairs & Law

Payne Fellowship Program
The USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program seeks to attract outstanding individuals who are interested in pursuing careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship Program
For college seniors or graduates who want to become Foreign Service Officers in the U.S. Department of State, the Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program provides benefits of up to $95,000 over two years toward a two-year master’s degree, arranges internships on Capitol Hill and at U.S. embassies, and provides mentorship and professional development support.

Robertson Foundation for Government Fellowships
RFG seeks to support outstanding graduate students from public service, policy and administration schools who represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives, with a common embrace of government service as a future calling. By supporting their education through academic fellowships and funding for government internships, RFG enables fellows to emerge from graduate school with lower or no financial burden so that they may pursue federal careers with complete dedication.

Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship
The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State.   It welcomes the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the State Department, women, and those with financial need.  Based on the fundamental principle that diversity is a strength in our diplomatic efforts, the program values varied backgrounds, including ethnic, racial, social, and geographic diversity.

Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program
The Mansfield Fellowship Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1994 to build a corps of U.S. Federal government employees with proficiency in the Japanese language and practical, firsthand knowledge about Japan and its government. Applicants must be federal government employees with at least two consecutive years of service and are subsequently required to serve at least two years in the Federal government.

Barbara A. Ringer Copyright Honors Program
The Ringer Honors Program offers 18-24-month paid fellowships for attorneys in the initial stages of their careers who demonstrate promising ability and interest in copyright law. Ringer Fellows work closely with United States Copyright Office senior attorneys on a range of copyright-related law and policy matters.

Dave Kennedy Fellowship
The Institute for Justice recruits the most talented law students from across the country as summer fellowship program participants, called Dave Kennedy Fellows. The program offers an unparalleled professional opportunity to substantively contribute to active and future strategic litigation in both state and federal courts.

Economics

JPSM Junior Fellows Program

The Junior Fellow Program supports career opportunities for those who have the knowledge and skills to design, collect, and analyze large-scale databases by offering a paid research assistantship, plus educational benefits that can expand the horizons of what you can do in your career. Junior Fellows will be placed at various statistical and survey organizations.

Science, Tech, Engineering & Math

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
The Science & Technology Policy Fellowships program provides opportunities for scientists and engineers to contribute to federal policymaking while learning firsthand about the intersection of science and policy.

Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship
The Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program is a full-time hands-on training and educational program that provides early career individuals with the opportunity to spend 12 weeks at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC learning about science and technology policy and the role that scientists and engineers play in advising the nation.

Cybersecurity Talent Initiative
The Cybersecurity Talent Initiative is a public-private partnership aimed at recruiting and training a world-class cybersecurity workforce. Participants selected for the program will be guaranteed a two-year placement at a federal agency with cybersecurity needs.

Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship
Launched in 2017, the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship (DOE NNSA LRGF) provides excellent financial benefits and professional development opportunities to students pursuing a Ph.D. in fields of study that address complex science and engineering problems critical to stewardship science.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Scientific Internships and Fellowships
Whether you’re an undergraduate looking to pursue a career in science, a graduate science student seeking experience in regulatory science, a postgraduate looking for fellowship opportunities, or a senior scientist pursuing research experience in your field of expertise, FDA offers you many paths to learning about the exciting field of regulatory science.

Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship
The FAIT Fellowship, funded by the United States Department of State, provides undergraduate and graduate students in IT-related fields with tuition assistance, as well as mentorship and professional development, to launch their careers in the Foreign Service as Information Management Specialists.

Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship (MLEF) Program
The Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship (MLEF) Program provides students with educational opportunities to gain real-world, hands-on research experience with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy. The MLEF program was created in 1995 with the goal of improving opportunities for under-represented and minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

NASA Postdoctoral Program
The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) provides early-career and more senior scientists the opportunity to share in NASA’s mission. NASA Postdoctoral Fellows work on 1 to 3 year assignments with NASA scientists and engineers at NASA centers and institutes to advance NASA’s missions in earth science, heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics, space bioscience, aeronautics, engineering, human exploration and space operations, astrobiology, and science management.

Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education Department of Defense Fellowship Program
To ensure the robust supply of scientists and engineers to meet the U.S. Department of Defense’s future science and technology needs, the ORISE program places individuals from the academic community (students, recent graduates, and faculty) in DoD research projects.

Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program
The Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program is an opportunity for students pursuing an undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines to receive a full scholarship and be gainfully employed upon degree completion in the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) Fellowship
The STPI Fellowship provides recent bachelor’s degree recipients with an opportunity to use their critical thinking and analytic skills to work on science and technology (S&T) policy areas, including energy and the environment, space sciences, innovation and competitiveness, evaluation, life sciences, information technologies, national security, and STEM education. Fellows will be involved in collaborative research for leaders in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and other Federal Government organizations.

USGS Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program
The Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides Fellows research experiences that enhance their scientific stature and credentials. The USGS invites postdoctoral scholars to conduct concentrated research in association with selected members of the USGS professional staff. Fellows will have two-year appointments to the USGS, receiving a full salary and benefits at the GS-12 level. Applicants must have their PhD degree no earlier than 5 years before the application opening date.

Health

Sustaining Technical and Analytical Resources (STAR)
Through fellowships, internships, and strategic partnerships, STAR supports building the capacity of diverse global health professionals and organizations at all levels to make inclusive, collaborative, and innovative contributions to global health.

Post Baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (Postbac IRTA/CRTA)
The NIH Postbac IRTA program provides recent college graduates who are planning to apply to graduate or professional (medical/ dental/ pharmacy) school an opportunity to spend one or two years performing full-time research at the NIH. Postbac IRTAs/CRTAs work side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research.

Leadership & Public Administration

White House Fellowship
White House Fellowships offer exceptional emerging leaders first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. Selected individuals typically spend a year working as a full-time, paid Fellow to senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking government officials. There are no formal age restrictions. However, the Fellowship program was created to give selected Americans the experience of government service early in their careers. Employees of the Federal government are not eligible unless they are career military personnel.

White House Leadership Development Program 
The White House Leadership Development Program (WHLDP) engages a diverse annual cohort of GS-15 career employees to work on the federal government’s highest priority and highest impact challenges. The Program is sponsored by the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and supported by the Performance Improvement Council (PIC).

Excellence in Government Fellowship
The Excellence in Government Fellows program is the premier leadership development course for federal employees at the GS-14 to GS-15 levels. For more than 30 years, EIG has helped federal employees develop strong leadership skills through application-based learning, highly interactive activities, authentic self-reflection, personalized coaching and governmentwide networking. Graduates go on to plan, design and implement innovative solutions to address the federal government’s biggest challenges and improve their agencies’ effectiveness.

President’s Management Council Interagency Rotation Program

In 2011, the President’s Management Council (PMC) and the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council launched the PMC Interagency Rotation Program to bolster cross-agency exposure for high-potential GS 13-15s.  The PMC Interagency Rotation Program enables emerging Federal leaders to expand their leadership competencies, broaden their organizational experiences, and foster networks they can leverage in the future. The program provides each participant an interagency rotation assignment to help develop or enhance specific leadership competencies identified by both the participant and their home supervisor, and expand PMC participants’ interagency experience either within or outside their current area of expertise.

HillVets House Fellowship
HillVets is the community of Veterans, Servicemembers, and their supporters interested in governance, international affairs, policy and politics. HillVets provides a fellowship for veterans interested in engaging in policy, politics, or government, and provides leadership training for veterans currently in the National Capitol Region.

International Affairs

Franklin Fellowship
Franklin Fellows are senior and mid-level professionals who serve a one-year fellowship at the Department of State or at USAID, working as experts and consultants on a wide range of issues and subjects. Franklin Fellows contribute their knowledge, experience, and specialized skills while gaining first-hand insight into the world of foreign policy and development.

Science, Tech, Engineering & Math

ASME Federal Government Fellowship Program
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers was the first engineering society to establish a Federal Government Fellowship Program in 1973. The program enables selected ASME members to devote a year to working in government, providing engineering and technical advice to policy makers in the U.S. Congress, the White House, and federal agencies.

Engineering & International Development Fellowship
IEEE-USA Engineering & International Development Fellows serve as advisors to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The fellowship offers an opportunity for member of the science, technology, and engineering community to provide valuable technical expertise to USAID while learning about and contributing to the foreign policy process.

Jefferson Science Fellows Program (JSF)
The JSF program engages the American academic science, technology, engineering, and medical communities in U.S. foreign policy and international development.  Open to tenured, or similarly ranked, faculty from U.S. institutions of higher learning, selected Jefferson Science Fellows spend one year on assignment at the U.S. Department of State or USAID serving as advisers on issues of foreign policy or international development.

AIP State Department Science Fellowship Program
This American Institute of Physics (AIP) Fellowship is intended to enhance the science & technology capacity of the U.S. Department of State by enabling at least one scientist annually to work at the Department’s Washington, DC headquarters for a one-year term. Scientists at all career stages, including mid- and late-career professionals, are encouraged to apply If they have a PhD or equivalent research background in physics or a closely-related field.

Presidential Innovation Fellowship (PIF)
The Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) pairs industry’s top technologists, designers, and strategists with federal changemakers to co-create bold solutions for public good. Embedded within agencies as “entrepreneurs in residence” for one year, our fellows bring the best of data science, design, engineering, product, and systems thinking into government. Technologists join as GS-15 senior professionals from every big tech, startups, research labs, and more.

 

Leveraging her expertise in international development, foreign policy, diplomacy, & advocacy, Fatema Z. Sumar leads efforts to fight poverty by transforming global systems in reaching vulnerable populations. She is the author of the book, The Development Diplomat: Working Across Borders, Boardrooms, and Bureaucracies to End Poverty.

Fatema most recently served as the Vice President of Compact Operations at the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a role appointed by President Biden. She oversaw all the agency’s compacts – MCC’s signature grant investment vehicle to reduce poverty. She previously served as MCC’s Deputy Vice President for Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America.

Fatema has a distinguished career in the U.S. government in both executive & legislative branches. She previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia at the US Department of State where she led efforts to expand regional economic and energy connectivity & as a Presidential Management Fellow. In Congress, she was a Senior Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee focused on Afghanistan, Pakistan, & the broader region.

In civil society, Fatema was the Vice President of Global Programs at Oxfam America where she oversaw regional development & humanitarian response to fight the injustice of poverty. Early in her career, she also worked at the American Civil Liberties Union.

Fatema sits on Advisory Boards for Princeton, Cornell, & Indiana universities & on the Advisory Council for Muslim Americans in Public Service. She has been published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, The New Republic, The Hill, & other outlets. She is a frequent guest speaker & has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives & U.S. Senate.

Fatema has a MPA from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs and a BA in Government from Cornell University. She studied abroad at the American University in Cairo and received an honorary doctorate from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey.

Rummi Khan is an experienced campaign manager, project manager, and strategist at the intersection of culture, faith communities, and politics. He has over a decade of experience in public affairs, political campaigns, community engagement, and event management.

Rummi currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), a national public affairs nonprofit organization working to promote and strengthen American pluralism by increasing understanding and improving policies that impact American Muslims for the past 30 years.

Prior to MPAC, Rummi co-founded an international arts and culture initiative and served in leadership roles on Presidential, Congressional, and Federal Policy campaigns. Rummi can be reached at board@mapsnational.org.

Jermaine Perry is a business operations professional specializing in operations management, systems thinking, and project management. He currently works at the U.S. Small Business Administration developing and executing program-level policies and procedures.

Jermaine is a graduate of Central State University (OH) and received his MBA from Ohio Dominican University. Additionally, he is an Excellence in Government Fellow and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.

Ahmad Maaty is a Senior Economist with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), where he conducts regulatory analyses and evaluations of the societal impacts of proposed safety and environmental regulations on the U.S. oil, gas and energy transportation industries. 

He worked in a similar regulatory capacity at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including as Acting Chief Economist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and previously as an economic growth advisor with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources, among other international and multilateral institutions.

Ahmad holds a BBA from George Washington University and an MPA from Cornell University.

Learn more about MAPS at DOT here.

Tamim is a born-and-raised Chicagoan and a career public service professional with 19+  years of Federal experience. He has served in roles and specializations ranging from project management, contracting, real estate development, land use, environmental remediation, economic development and National program administration across stints with the General Services Administration (GSA), the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and currently with the Department of Homeland Security. 

His love for community expresses itself through non-profit organizations, where he serves on the Board of Directors for the Muslim Caucus Education Collective, Green Muslims and MAPS as an at-large Board member. His diverse educational background, B.A. in Philosophy, B.S. in Finance, M.A. in Education with a focus on transformational leadership, emotional and social intelligence keep him seeking new opportunities to learn and engage.

Asad Nawaz has formerly served successive terms as Vice President and President of the American Muslim and Arabic Cultural Association (AMACA) at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Asad began his public service career in 2004 examining patent applications at the USPTO. Currently a Supervisory Patent Examiner, he leads a group of primary and junior patent examiners in the field of Multiplex Communications and VoIP. Asad has worked with European Patent Office (EPO) counterparts on the Cooperate Patent Classification System, and has served as an Advisor to the Commissioner for Patents. 

In furtherance of his strong belief in personal and professional development, Asad has served as lead Trainer in the Patent Training Academy and as a Resource Supervisor at the Office of Innovation Development. He is also in the process of obtaining his Associate Certified Coach (ICF) credential as part of USPTO’s Career Coach Program. 

Asad completed an Executive Education Certificate in Public Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he was also part of the Senior Executive Fellows program. Asad received a BS in Computer Science and an MS in Information Security and Assurance from George Mason University. He can be reached at professionaldevelopment@mapsnational.org.

 

Muqaddas Ejaz is a community advocate and activist. She is currently serving her second term as a member of New Jersey’s Cherry Hill Democratic Committee, where she was the first Muslim elected in 2017. Her leadership skills have been applied on various boards, including the Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission. The Commission works to strengthen the cultural framework of Camden County by educating the community and supporting local organizations with funding and technical assistance to deepen the interactions between cultural practitioners and residents. 

Devoted to serving others, Muqaddas remains involved in several grassroots organizations that work towards the development of local communities and the betterment of New Jersey’s diverse citizens. She serves as the Director of Community Engagement for The Muslim Network, co-led the First Annual Camden County S.U.R.E. (Students United for Respect & Equity) Summit for the youth, and co-founder of Know Your Muslim Neighbor, South Jersey. Previously, she has also served as the lead for the English as a Second Language and Computer Literacy program at the Muslim American Community Association and has designed, planned, and led other seminars, community and cultural events for the diverse community. 

Muqaddas has been recently recognized by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) chapter of South Jersey as Community Advocate of the Year. She was also awarded the Camden County Freedom Medal in 2018 for her community service, and U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-1) recognized her as a Woman of Honor in Education. She can be reached at outreach@mapsnational.org.

Mariya Ilyas is a career U.S. diplomat. As a political-coned Foreign Service Officer, she is currently serving as the Staff Assistant to Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. 

Her previous assignments include political-military officer in the Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs in Washington D.C., non-immigrant visa chief at the U.S. Embassy Doha, and vice consul at the U.S. Embassy Amman. 

Prior to joining the U.S. Foreign Service as a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow in 2018, she taught English as a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey and worked as a data analyst at Liberty Mutual Insurance in Boston. 

Mariya holds a master’s in security studies and maritime affairs from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a bachelor’s in mathematics from Bowdoin College. Mariya volunteers her time as the co-chair of U.S. State Department’s employee organization Muslim Americans and Friends at State (AMFAS) and as a board member of the nonprofit organization Muslim Americans in Public Service (MAPS). She can be reached at profdev@mapsnational.org. 

 

Dr. Leila Hanafi is a Moroccan-American international development lawyer with a record of service in international organizations and  multilateral institutions. She is currently a senior legal adviser with the World Bank Group and adjunct law professor at George Washington University Law School in Washington D.C.  Leila is Founder and Principal of ARPA international Law Group, an international development law firm, and has served in legal advisory roles to United Nations agencies, including UNOPS, UNDP and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), as well as foreign governments.

Previously, Leila oversaw the International Criminal Court’s Middle East and North Africa Coalition work and served as staff attorney and programs manager of the American Bar Association (ABA) World Justice Project. Amidst the Arab Spring reforms, she was selected by the Moroccan Government as Law Commissioner in the National Inter-Governmental Commission for Policy Dialogue and Constitutional Reforms.

Leila is a graduate of American University, Georgetown University, and George Washington University Law School in Washington D.C., and earned her doctorate in law in the United Kingdom under a fully funded merit doctoral scholarship. She can be reached at board@mapsnational.org.

 

David Hunsicker is one of the founding members of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Muslims Employee Resource Group (UMERG) and a current member of their board. He is a Senior Conflict and Peacebuilding Advisor and the Middle East Team Leader in USAID’s Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention where he specializes in issues of religion, identity and conflict. 

David spent eight years living and working in the Central Asian Republics of the former Soviet Union, including three years as the Religion, State and Society Specialist in USAID’s Central Asian regional mission. In this capacity, he was responsible for advising USAID and U.S. Embassies in the five Central Asian republics on integrating religious communities into U.S. Government-funded development programming. Previously, David also worked at the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan where he provided support to local human rights groups and facilitated Embassy outreach to religious leaders. 

David holds a BA in Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan and an MA in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization from the University of Washington. He can be reached at board@mapsnational.org.

Fozia Janjua sits on the Township Council in the Philadelphia suburb of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey and is the first Muslim and Pakistani-American councilwoman elected to office in South Jersey. An educator who has a passion for service and social justice, Fozia is a founding board member of a local nonprofit called CommunitySJP whose mission is to unite communities through service and promote civic engagement.

A longtime community organizer and public servant, Fozia has helped people navigate the housing, schooling, and justice system throughout the years. At an early age, Fozia started volunteering, working with, and advocating for the marginalized members of her local community.  

As a first-generation Pakistani American, and one of three girls, she considers herself fortunate to be born in one of the most inclusive cities in the world, San Francisco, California, and raised by two very progressive, socially conscious parents who instilled the values of hard work, education, and especially the concept of giving back.

Fozia graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Sociology. She can be reached at board@mapsnational.org.

Dr. Nader Metwalli has been a staff scientist with the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Bethesda, MD campus since early 2020. Before joining the NIH, he served as a patent examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office (USPTO) working in the Alexandria, VA main office. 

Prior to Federal service, Nader has held a number of research and development centric roles throughout his career in private industry and entrepreneurship. 

Nader received his doctorate degree in bioengineering/biomedical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology/Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He can be reached at board@mapsnational.org.

Rubina Halwani is a training, education, and inclusion consultant, and currently serves as an Instructional Designer for the State of Utah.

Her career spans over 20 years across multiple industries, including education, government, and public policy.

Rubina is recognized as an industry leader in Learning and Development. Her work has received acclaim and awards for high impact. Her strengths include leadership, public service, and empathy, and she has been recognized for her collaborative work towards building spaces of inclusion and religious plurality. 

Identifying as an American Muslim of South Asian heritage, Rubina has been active in her local and Muslim communities. Born and raised in Maryland, she has lived and worked in Washington DC, San Francisco, Iowa, and Utah. 

Rubina holds a B.A. degree in English Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies.

Fazal Mirza is a co-founder and Vice-President of the Muslim Americans in Public Service (MAPS) employee resource group at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), where he is a Senior Contracting Officer and Team Lead with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). With a $25 million warrant, and a FAC-C Level III certification, he has procured over $830 million in goods and services for the Federal government. His procurement expertise is with R&D contracts to strengthen the nations pipeline infrastructure, and complex IT services. Fazal leads a team of Contract Specialists on a day to day basis.

During his time at DOT, he was selected to be on a detail with the DOT Office of the Senior Procurement Executive, which involved implementing a Grants Management Certification Program within DOT and implementing policy for the Department’s 11,300 Acquisition Workforce employees. In addition, Fazal was selected to start a new IT Acquisition Center of Excellence (DOT IT ACE) Contracting Office, under which all IT commodities and services would be procured.

Fazal has also participated in the Partnership for Public Service’s Excellence in Government Fellowship program. He began Federal service procuring a variety of goods and services as a DOT Contract Specialist in 2009. Fazal is a graduate from the University of Florida’s Warrington’s School of Business, and serves his local community as a coach and a Girl Scout Troop Leader. Fazal can be reached at board@mapsnational.org.

Ramy Osman is Co-founder and current Treasurer of the American Muslim and Arabic Cultural Association (AMACA) at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where he also coordinates Friday jumuah congregational prayers and Ramadan community iftar dinners. Ramy is a Patent Examiner of network technology patents at the USPTO, and received their Bronze Medal Award for Outstanding work performance.

Ramy also volunteers for various community and charity projects, and edited the final report, “NYC Coalition for Muslim School Holidays,” submitted to the New York City Board of Education ahead of their landmark 2015 decision to observe the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Ramy holds a master’s degree in Telecommunications, and can be reached at board@mapsnational.org.

 

Maryum Saifee is Outreach Officer with Mosaic employee affinity group at the U.S. Department of State, where she is a career U.S. Foreign Service Officer. She recently took a sabbatical where she was a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Truman Center for National Policy. Her overseas postings included Embassies Cairo and Baghdad, as well as U.S. Consulate Lahore. Maryum also served in domestic assignments in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, and the Secretary’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs.

Prior to the Foreign Service, Maryum was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jordan focused on girls’ education and an AmeriCorps Volunteer in Seattle working with South Asian and Muslim immigrant survivors of domestic violence. She also worked for the Ford Foundation, Women Deliver, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Acumen Fund.

Maryum is an alumna of the Presidential Leadership Scholars and the Council on Foreign Relations term membership programs, and is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the University of Texas at Austin. Maryum is participating in MAPS in her personal capacity, and can be reached at board@mapsnational.org.

 

Judge Dania Ayoubi is an Administrative Law Judge in the Office of Administrative Hearings for the State of Maryland, where she presides over appeals from over thirty state agencies. 

Prior to her appointment, she served in Federal government for almost ten years, most recently as Senior Counsel in the Office of Regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she crafted consumer finance regulations and developed an expertise in the areas of debt collection, mortgages, and fair lending. She was also an Attorney Advisor at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where she worked to develop policies to extend broadband internet access to underserved parts of America.  
 
Judge Ayoubi previously worked at Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP and clerked for Chief Judge Eric T. Washington at the D.C. Court of Appeals. A graduate of Georgetown University (A.B.) and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.), Judge Ayoubi is a member of the National Association of Women Judges. 

 

Judge Faruqui has been serving as a Federal magistrate judge for the District of Columbia since September 2020.  He is the first Muslim Judge in the D.C. Circuit. 

Prior to his appointment, he was a Federal prosecutor, first in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, and then in the District of Columbia. 

Over the span of over twelve years of Federal service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA), he prosecuted numerous criminal cases, most recently serving as the lead prosecutor for complex and novel crimes involving, for example, terrorists’ use of cryptocurrency, nuclear weapons proliferation, darknet sites dedicated to child exploitation, and antiquities theft. He also litigated over $700 million in money laundering and asset forfeiture proceedings. As a subject-matter expert, he has presented on cryptocurrency and anti-money laundering issues in conferences spanning from Europe to Asia and the Middle East.  

Prior to serving as a Federal prosecutor, Judge Faruqui worked at a corporate law firm where he focused on government investigations and general commercial litigation.

Judge Faruqui is a board member for Jobs for Homeless People, a non-profit that provides housing and vocational training to people in the D.C. metropolitan area. He also served as a Muslim-outreach coordinator for the U.S. Department of Justice and an as an adjunct professor at Harris-Stowe State University. He received his J.D. and undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.

 

​​​​Dr. Sadaf Jaffer is an educator and activist. She recently completed two terms as mayor of Montgomery Township, New Jersey. In January of 2019, she became the first South Asian woman to serve as mayor of a municipality in New Jersey, and the first Muslim woman to serve as mayor of a municipality in the United States.
 
Her signature initiatives included: creating and implementing a crisis communications plan to help Montgomery Township maintain some of the lowest COVID-19 infection and fatality rates in New Jersey; facilitating a participatory design process for the municipal center and library project started by her predecessors while securing millions of dollars in state funding; responding to demands for racial justice by coordinating meetings for Black community members and youth activists with the Township’s police leadership to build trust and mutual understanding; and inaugurating a Youth Leadership Council to elevate the voices of young people who are energized to lead.
 
​Sadaf is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in South Asian Studies at Princeton University where she teaches courses on South Asian, Islamic, and Asian American Studies. Jaffer currently serves as Chair of the Inclusion and Equity Committee of Montgomery Township and on the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. She was one of the founding members of Inspiring South Asian American Women (ISAAW), a group dedicated to encouraging civic engagement among South Asian American women in New Jersey. She is on the Board of Directors for The New Agenda, an organization that promotes women’s economic empowerment and combats sexual harassment and sexual assault. 
 
​Sadaf earned her bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and obtained her PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University with a secondary field in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

 

​​Madiha Latif is an innovative thinker with over 20 years of broad-based expertise in leadership, financial management and customer engagement.  She is very passionate about working to improve federal government operations for the greater good of her fellow Americans. 

Madiha is the Deputy Assistant Commissioner  within Revenue Collections Management (RCM) at the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service. She has oversight responsibility for providing executive day-to-day leadership for the Compliance and Reporting Group (CRG), in support of the Government’s collection and settlement of over $4.2 trillion in federal revenue each year (e.g., taxes, fees, fines, loan repayments, customs duties, donations) and the processing of 500 million transactions annually.

Madiha has also held leadership positions in RCM as the Agency Relationship Outreach and engagement Director where she transformed the way RCM facilitated adoption of innovative solutions to its 225+ federal agency customer universe implementing a holistic approach of a one voice methodology.  

Prior to joining the Federal government, Madiha held several leadership positions within the private sector supporting U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  She is also a veteran, having served in war zones with the active duty Army. 

Madiha has an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from Harvard Kennedy School, an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from the University of Maryland and Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix.

 

​​​​Ahmed Mousa is a life sciences entrepreneur with a background in molecular biology and an attorney with significant IP and FDA experience. Ahmed currently serves as Senior Vice President, Corporate Operations and General Counsel of Pieris Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: PIRS), a U.S.-German biotechnology company developing cutting-edge therapies in immuno-oncology and for respiratory disease. Ahmed serves as site head for the company’s U.S. office, oversees project leadership and quality assurance, and leads Pieris’ intellectual property, corporate secretary, and legal activities, including licensing and corporate legal as well as the Company’s global patent portfolio.
 

Prior to joining Pieris, Ahmed was an Associate at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and an attorney with the law firm Covington & Burling LLP, where he represented pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in a range of matters, including significant experience in generic and biosimilar drug litigation.

A founding Advisor to MAPS, Ahmed’s experience in public service included a stint with the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and a judicial clerkship at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Ahmed obtained undergraduate degrees in Government and Molecular Biology from Cornell University and a master’s degree in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University, with research experience prior to his legal career focused on tumor biology and angiogenesis. Ahmed graduated from Georgetown Law with honors, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Journal of International Law.

Dr. Asifa Quraishi-Landes is a full Professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin Law School, specializing in comparative Islamic and U.S. Constitutional law, with a current focus on modern Islamic constitutional theory.  Her career includes federal clerkships in the Eastern District of California and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. A past Carnegie Scholar and Guggenheim Fellow, her recent publications includes “Legislating Morality and Other Illusions about Islamic Government.”  She is currently working on a book tentatively titled “Islamic Re-constitutionalism,” which presents a non-theocratic and non-secular model of Islamic constitutionalism for today’s Muslim-majority countries.

A lifelong leader in the Muslim American nonprofit scene, Asifa currently serves as Interim Co-Executive Director of Muslim Advocates, and on the governing boards of the Muslim Public Service Network (MPSN), Bayan Claremont Islamic Graduate School, and the Muslim Youth Camp of California.  She has been a past President and Board Member of NAML (National Association of Muslim Lawyers) as well as Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. She is also an affiliate of the Muslim Women’s League, and a Fellow with the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding  (ISPU).

She has served as a Public Delegate on the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the Task Force on Religion and the Making of U.S. Foreign Policy for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and as advisor to the Pew Task Force on Religion & Public Life.  

Professor Quraishi-Landes holds a doctorate from Harvard Law School and other degrees from Columbia Law School, the University of California at Davis, and the University of California at Berkeley.

Alisha develops and coordinates U.S. policy engagement in Burma as a Desk Officer at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP), where she works with government agencies, international partners, and civil society to promote security, democratic governance, and humanitarian access.  She formerly advanced policies, public-private sector cooperation, and foreign assistance programming to counter global challenges and strengthen the rule of law in South Asia as a Program Advisor with in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

Prior to her Department experience, Alisha engaged with domestic and foreign policy priorities through experiences at the U.S. Senate in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (SFRC) and Senator Cory Booker’s Office, leading global think tanks based in China and Belgium, international media companies, state and local government, and NGOs promoting equity, economic empowerment, and increased access to education for children in Pakistan.

Outside of her professional experiences, she is involved in organizations advancing greater representation in and accessibility to opportunities in public service, including as a Board Member for both MAPS (as Deputy Outreach Director) and the Department of State’s South Asian American Employee Association (SAAEA), as well as an Advisory Board Member for Leading Women of Tomorrow.

Alisha graduated with honors from American University with bachelor’s degrees in International Studies and Political Science, minor in Chinese, and certificate in Women, Policy, and Political Leadership. She can be reached at policy@mapsnational.org.

Ahmad Maaty currently serves as a Senior Economist with the U.S. Department of Justice, developing Federal regulations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). He worked in a similar regulatory capacity at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including as Acting Chief Economist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He also deployed as an Inter-Governmental Affairs Specialist during FEMA emergency responses to disaster declarations in Texas and Puerto Rico.

Previously, Ahmad served as a Franklin Fellow with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources, helping craft State and USAID’s economic growth budget and strategy. He also helped introduce data tools to guide assistance as a founding member of the Country Data Analytics team, liaising with the White House National Security Council on bi-lateral investment opportunities. Ahmad first joined State ten years earlier, helping cover the Middle East portfolio before the United Nations Security Council for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. 

During the eight year interval in Federal service, Ahmad held roles with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Islamic Development Bank, developing economic growth, poverty reduction, and evaluation programs with fieldwork in over a dozen countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. 

A New York City native, he served as President of the Arab Students Association at Pace University in downtown Manhattan during the events of September 11th, 2001, and on the Board of the Muslim Students Association at the George Washington University in Washington DC. Ahmad earned his Masters in Public Administration from Cornell University, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Cornell policy journal.