July 31, 2019

The American Pakistan Foundation (APF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Shamila N. Chaudhary as its President.

As APF celebrates ten years of growth, Ms. Chaudhary will spearhead the development of new initiatives to build bridges between the United States and Pakistan through the arts, education, and civic engagement. She is also charged with building the Foundation's reach and impact into U.S. philanthropic organizations and civil society communities.

Ms. Chaudhary's appointment comes at an important moment for the Pakistani American community. As the community grows in size and in its involvement in American life, so does the need to cultivate the next generation of Pakistani American leaders. We are proud that Ms. Chaudhary will lead the charge for APF in this critical mission.

Ms. Chaudhary brings to the role her expansive network of relationships and two-decades of experience in the U.S. government; think tank; and non-profit, business, and academic communities. A foreign policy analyst by training, Ms. Chaudhary specializes in U.S. foreign policy with a focus on South Asia and U.S.-Pakistan relations. Her analysis is regularly cited and published in Foreign Policy, NPR, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and the New York Times. She appears frequently on CNN, BBC News America, NPR, Fox News, and other media outlets.

For the past six years, she served as Senior Advisor to Dean Vali Nasr at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Ms. Chaudhary will remain a Fellow at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Foreign Policy Institute, where she runs The Pakistan Forum , an initiative creating new pathways for the study of Pakistan; and The Big Picture , a forum exploring international affairs through arts and culture. She also continues to serve as Senior South Asia Fellow at New America's International Security Studies Program.

Ms. Chaudhary worked at the political risk firm Eurasia Group from 2011-2013, advising private sector clients on political and economic trends in South Asia. Prior to that, she served in the Obama administration, first as a South Asia Advisor to Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and later at the White House National Security Council as Director for Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also served on the U.S. State Department's Pakistan Desk and Indonesia Desk from 2004-2009; and worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2000-2004.

Ms. Chaudhary earned an M.A. in International Affairs from the American University's School of International Service and a B.A. in English Literature and Women's Studies from the University of Toledo. She served twice on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Pakistan and is a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ms. Chaudhary's association with APF dates back to its founding over a decade ago, when she worked at the U.S. State Department for Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Holbrooke. At their direction, Ms. Chaudhary led Pakistani diaspora engagement at the U.S. State Department, closely engaging and building relationships with APF's founding board members. Since 2017, Ms. Chaudhary has served on APF's Board of Directors.

"I'm honored to join the American Pakistan Foundation as its President," Ms. Chaudhary said. "The APF mission to build bridges between the United States and Pakistan presents a tremendous opportunity to shape how the next generation of American and Pakistani leaders think about their shared history - and how they might create a shared future."

"The Board of the American Pakistan Foundation is thrilled to welcome Shamila as the President of the organization," notes Board Chair, Riaz Siddiqi. "Her demonstrated track record of organization building, passion for supporting the Pakistani American community, and efforts to build bridges between Americans and Pakistanis are hallmarks of her career that position her to take APF to the next level in terms of its impact and growth potential."

APF Appoints Shamila N. Chaudhary as President