MPA-GL Class of 2027

Daniel Adler trained in law, Germanic studies, and political science at the University of Melbourne. After initially practicing as a lawyer in Australia, he spent much of his early career in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where he worked with local lawyers to set up a human rights organization, conducted related research on access to justice, and led a project to support the foundation of the country’s first tripartite labor tribunal. His scholarship from this period—published by Cambridge University Press and the World Bank—examined the theory and practice of justice in development, emphasizing the role of ‘good struggles’ in enabling the emergence of equitable, rights-based institutions. Daniel went on to spend more than a decade with the World Bank Group’s Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, leading over 25 independent investigations into the environmental, social, and human rights impacts of private sector development projects worldwide, including a landmark inquiry into child sexual abuse at World Bank-funded schools in Kenya.  

Nadav Ayish is a military officer with nearly 20 years of leadership experience in complex and demanding environments. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Integrated Social Sciences Program at Bar-Ilan University, which strengthened his understanding of society, leadership, and human behavior. Alongside his professional service, Nadav has volunteered in programs supporting Holocaust survivors and currently serves on the board of a nonprofit organization assisting individuals affected by war. He is pursuing a Master of Public Administration at Columbia University to further develop his leadership and analytical skills and contribute meaningfully to public service and society.

Janice-Love Bropleh is a Liberian public sector leader, development practitioner, and social entrepreneur with experience in public administration and business development. She serves as Deputy Managing Director for Sales and Marketing at the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), leading efforts to deliver services sustainably. Previously, she worked with the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC), contributing to Liberia’s energy regulatory and institutional development. She also served as Senior Intervention Manager for the GROW Liberia Cocoa Project, where she facilitated the export of over 200 metric tons of Liberia’s first certified cocoa in 2018. Previously, as Project Manager at the Business Start-up Center Monrovia, she trained more than 100 small businesses and facilitated seed grants for over 50 of them. A 2023 Mandela Washington Fellow, she founded empowHER and Mamie Pepper Farms and is passionate about women’s leadership, inclusive economic development, and building institutions that create sustainable impact. She is an author and loves to cook.

Davide Cichero has over a decade of experience leading high-impact initiatives across government, international organizations, and the private sector. Most recently, as Chief of Staff at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), he built and led a high-performing external engagement team, initiated ICC’s work in fragile and conflict-affected countries, and drove a major multilateral trade reform initiative. Previously, he held senior roles with the Italian Prime Minister’s Office, the Saudi Royal Court, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Albright Stonebridge Group. He holds degrees from Bocconi University and the Geneva Graduate Institute, and received additional training at SciencesPo Paris, the National University of Singapore, and INSEAD.

Katalin Cseh is a Hungarian-Canadian doctor with a decade of experience in European politics. She served as a Member of the European Parliament and the Hungarian National Assembly, focusing on human rights, democratic backsliding, foreign affairs, and gender equality. As Vice President of the Renew Europe Group and coordinator on the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, she helped negotiate the EU Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation and contributed to legislation on anti-corruption, women’s rights, sanctions, and corporate due diligence. Named MEP of the Year in 2022, she previously practiced obstetrics and gynecology and holds degrees in medicine and health policy.

Alana Chloe Esposito works to advance human dignity and security through NGO leadership, storytelling, and the arts. Most recently, she led humanitarian relief efforts for refugees in Greece, leveraging her international experience to strengthen NGO capacity. Previously, she reported on international security and development as an accredited member of the UN Press Corps and managed press relations for The Independent. She began her career developing public programs at a New York museum exhibiting international artists to promote cross-cultural exchange. She holds a Bachelor’s in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Master’s in International Affairs from Sciences Po Paris.

Wasim Hamed is a civil servant of the Pakistan Administrative Service with extensive experience in public administration, governance, and policy formulation. He holds an M.Com and an M.Phil. in Commerce. During his public service career, he has served in various fields and administrative positions, including assignments as Assistant Commissioner and Subdivisional Collector in Sindh, and Deputy Commissioner and District Collector in Punjab. His professional experience spans both field administration and public policy, with a focus on governance, public service delivery, and institutional development. He is committed to strengthening public sector performance through evidence-based policymaking and effective administrative leadership.

Yuta Hiramatsu is a finance and strategy professional with 15 years of international experience across Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and General Electric (GE). Based in Sydney, Australia, he has led regional investment planning, commercial strategy, and business integrations across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Most recently, he served as Investment Controller at Microsoft, supporting resource allocation, customer investments, and market expansion. Previously, at AWS, he advised public-sector leaders on financial planning and business cases supporting cloud adoption and critical infrastructure investments. Yuta holds a Bachelor of Law from Keio University in Japan and is bilingual in English and Japanese.

Philip Irwan is an Indonesian social entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience building businesses and institutions that expand economic opportunity in underserved communities and regions. He began his entrepreneurial journey by co-founding Akasia Bank, a rural bank, in 2011 and later founded Akasia Kapital Grup in 2017, broadening his work across Indonesia, including East Nusa Tenggara and Papua. His work is guided by a commitment to reducing inequality and advancing inclusive economic development. He holds two B.A. degrees in Economics and Chinese Language and Literature from the University of California, Irvine.

Konstantinos Kaouras is a dual-qualified solicitor in England & Wales and Greece with over ten years of experience in privacy and technology law, having worked in London, Athens, and briefly in Brussels. He studied Competition Law at UCL and Public Law at the University of Athens. Most recently, he served as Data Protection Officer and Legal Counsel at Our Future Health, the UK’s largest health research programme. Konstantinos has built forums for public dialogue on digital health and regulatory reforms in the UK and Greece and worked with think tanks on reports on the future of data governance in the age of AI, subsequently adopted by the UK government. At SIPA, Konstantinos is eager to explore the intersection of technology policy, regulation, and law, and how these can be harnessed to shape the societies we want to live in.

Shaun Liu is a career military officer and foreign affairs professional with a background spanning defense diplomacy, international security, and space and strategic communications across Asia and Europe. He holds a BE in Software Engineering from Tsinghua University and an MS in Finance from Northeastern University. He commanded a U.S. Army strategic satellite operations center in Germany, served at NATO Allied Air Command, and worked on U.S.-Japan security issues at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Drawing on this academic, operational, and diplomatic grounding, Shaun focuses on how emerging technologies are reshaping security and alliance dynamics in a contested global environment.

Sheffie Meghji has spent nearly 15 years working at the intersection of media and technology, with roles at Mashable, Spotify, PICO Venture Partners in Tel Aviv, and Warner Music Group, where she most recently served as Senior Director of Digital Strategy and Business Development. At Warner Music Group, she built and launched podcasting as a new business line and developed strategic music licensing partnerships. Her private-sector experience has shaped her interest in how technology intersects with foreign policy and national security. She serves on the U.S. Board of Directors of IsraAID, an Israel-based humanitarian NGO responding to crises around the world, and is particularly interested in Middle East affairs, security, and diplomacy.

Yuka Nakayama is a Japanese-qualified lawyer with nearly a decade of experience in international finance, derivatives, and capital markets. She currently serves as Vice President, Markets Legal at Barclays in Singapore, advising on derivatives and structured products transactions across the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, she was an Associate at Linklaters in Tokyo, where she specialized in derivatives, structured finance, and financial regulation. Yuka has also been actively involved in pro bono and community initiatives supporting underserved communities in Japan and Singapore. She holds a Juris Doctor from Keio University Law School and a Bachelor of Laws from Rikkyo University, both in Tokyo.

Jonathan Nease is a technology and national security professional with more than 20 years of experience across the U.S. Department of Defense in both military and civilian leadership roles. He currently serves as an analytic methodologist, leading the development and employment of advanced analytic capabilities. His work brings together policymakers, engineers, and analysts to apply emerging technologies to solve complex public sector challenges. His interests focus on responsible artificial intelligence adoption, government modernization, and international security. Jonathan holds an MS in Applied Information Technology from George Mason University.

Christian D. Rey is a U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer and Green Beret with more than two decades of experience across the Middle East and Indo-Pacific. He has worked on political-military affairs at U.S. embassies, advised allied and partner militaries, and served with Special Forces in multinational environments. His professional interests center on the U.S.-Japan alliance, regional security cooperation, and defense diplomacy. After Columbia, he will return to Japan to serve on the U.S. Army staff. Christian holds an MBA from Washington State University and a BA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is proficient in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.

Agam Shlomo is an international lawyer and a security and technology leader with 10 years of experience across government and the private sector, at the nexus of national security, humanitarian law and technology. As a legal advisor for cyber and technology, she coordinated Israel’s policy on cyber offense, defense and emerging technologies, building coalitions across industry and allied nations. She also took part in Israel’s responses to national cyber incidents and forged partnerships with governments worldwide to counter cyber threats. More recently, Agam served as an innovation manager for Israel’s National Digital Agency and Ministry of Justice, where she founded the Center of Excellence for AI and LegalTech, overseeing multi-million-dollar innovation initiatives. She led the Ministry’s digital transformation, designed its AI adoption strategy, and forged partnerships with startups, academia, and government agencies.

Ashutosh Singh is a veteran of the Indian Armed Forces with over two decades of experience in security operations, strategic leadership, policy formulation, and peacebuilding in complex and conflict-affected environments. His career includes operational, instructional, and staff appointments, including service with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he supported civilian protection and regional stability. He has also served as Joint Director at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, contributing to national security assessments and policy recommendations. Ashutosh holds a Master’s degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras, is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and holds a Certificate in International Development Policy from Duke University.

Dr. John R. Smits is an adjunct professor at Husson University, teaching finance, managerial accounting, and research methodology. His doctoral research examines Robotic Process Automation scalability and has been cited in subsequent research. He serves as a Sergeant Major with Army Applications Group and authored the Army Reserve’s first Experimentation Guide and Policy. His service spans nine countries, including combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a recipient of the Purple Heart Medal and Combat Action Badge. At DFAS, he held senior roles as Director, Chief of Staff, and Robotics Program Champion. His interests include international law and diplomacy.

Shreya Tiwari is a public policy and education systems leader with deep expertise in how children learn and how public school systems can be designed for 21st-century learning. Trained in education at leading Indian institutions, she combines academic grounding with extensive experience advising and partnering with governments across 15 countries in Asia and Africa. Her career spans NGOs, academia, government, and the United Nations, working at the intersection of public policy, government, private sector, and civil society to strengthen public systems. Her current research examines how public policy shapes 21st-century learning. She has spoken and published nationally and internationally on how schools shape democracy.

Vinitha Vijayakumar is a career Central Banker from the Reserve Bank of India with over two decades of experience, mostly in banking supervision and financial stability. She currently leads a team that supervises financial conglomerates. She was part of the Secretariat of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) and was actively involved in designing the Financial Inclusion curriculum for schools in India. She was also involved in the Network Analysis project of the Reserve Bank of India that assesses the interconnectedness and contagion risks in the financial sector. She is a trained singer and plays the Veena.

Inna Volkova is a professional with cross-sector experience in legislative affairs, international law, humanitarian response, and the energy sector in Ukraine. She holds a PhD in Law focused on child rights protection. Her most recent positions were Deputy Chair of the Board for International Relations Development at JSC “KYIVGAZ” and an elected member of the Odesa District Council. Previously, she spent nearly ten years as an advising assistant to members of the Parliament of Ukraine, providing support on international law, democratic governance, and human rights. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion, she led the Humanitarian Headquarters for two years, coordinating humanitarian aid in her local community.

Khushboo Zahra is a central banking professional at the State Bank of Pakistan with over 17 years of experience.  As Manager—People and Culture at Raast Payments Pakistan, she developed organizational frameworks and talent management for Pakistan’s national instant payments system. Previously, as Joint Director, Foreign Exchange Operations, she led remittances and export overdue litigation portfolios, supporting regulatory compliance and policy implementation. She has led HR initiatives in performance management, industrial relations, and learning and development. Beyond her professional engagements, she is committed to public service through education and children’s storytelling. She holds an MBA from IBA Karachi.