Staff
The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) is led by a diverse group of individuals brought together by their desire for change in American foreign policy that facilitates the growth of democracy in the Middle East.
Stephen McInerney (stephen.mcinerney@pomed.org) is POMED’s Executive Director. Previously, he was Director of Advocacy at POMED. He has more than six years experience in the Middle East, including graduate studies in Middle Eastern politics, history, and the Arabic language at the American University of Beirut and the American University in Cairo. His writing on Middle Eastern politics and U.S. foreign policy has been published by the Arab Reform Bulletin, The Daily Star, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, and The Washington Post. He has spoken on Middle East affairs with numerous media outlets including BBC, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, and CBS News. He received a Masters degree from Stanford University.
Cole Bockenfeld (cole.bockenfeld@pomed.org) is POMED’s Director of Advocacy and Editor of the POMED Wire blog and the Weekly Wire digest. He has studied the Middle East for more than six years with a focus on U.S. and Middle Eastern politics, history, and the Arabic language at the University of Arkansas, Georgetown University, and Al al-Bayt University in Mafraq, Jordan. Prior to joining POMED, he worked for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) on electoral assistance programs in Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, and the West Bank and Gaza, including fieldwork in Beirut and Baghdad. He also conducted research with the Center for Islam and Democracy (CSID) in Amman.
Susannah Cunningham (susannah.cunningham@pomed.org) is POMED’s Director of Development and Communications. She has studied and worked on Middle East & North Africa issues for more than seven years, including four years in Cairo, Egypt. She has worked on Middle Eastern issues ranging from economic development to citizenship rights to human rights mechanisms and refugees. She is the co-founder of the Resettlement Legal Aid Project, a UN-implementing partner and legal clinic in Cairo, initially formed to serve Iraqi refugees who were persecuted for their assistance of Coalition forces. Prior to joining POMED, she worked as a Program Development Manager for the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. Susannah holds a BA in Political Science and Theatre from Northwestern University.
|
Daphne McCurdy (daphne.mccurdy@pomed.org) is POMED’s Senior Research Associate and Editor of the POMED Policy Brief series. Previously, Daphne worked in the Middle East division at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). She has also worked at the Committee for Economic Development and the Permanent Missions of Turkey to the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Daphne was a Fulbright scholar in Istanbul, Turkey, conducting research on Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East as an affiliate of Sabanci University and working at the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV). She holds a B.A. in International Relations and Economics from Tufts University and speaks Turkish, French, and Persian.
|
Anna Newby (anna.newby@pomed.org) is POMED’s Dialogue Programs Coordinator. She received her Bachelors degree from Brown University in International Relations and Middle East Studies. Prior to joining POMED, she worked on the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington and at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California. She is proficient in Arabic, having supplemented her Arabic studies at Brown with Middlebury College’s program in Alexandria, Egypt.
Nada Zohdy (nada.zohdy@pomed.org) is POMED’s Program Assistant. Prior to joining POMED, she attained professional Arabic proficiency through intensive language programs in Egypt and Morocco, with support from the National Security Education Program as a David L. Boren Scholar. She also worked for the Association for Women and Development in Alexandria, Egypt and for the Middle East Institute in Washington. She graduated with honors from Michigan State University with degrees in International Relations and Arabic. She is also a recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, recognizing her commitment to public service.