Saideh has over a decade of experience in human rights education and civil society empowerment. She also has several years' experience on international aid projects at various organizations. Most recently with the Eurasia Foundation and prior to that at FHI360. On the side, she is also involved in open government and transparency initiatives.
Saideh holds a Masters degree in International Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Notre Dame, IN, USA. and a Master's degree in Human Rights Law from the Allameh Tabataba'i University as well as
a Bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Tehran.
Founder & President
Dr. Scott Weiner
Scott Weiner is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the George Washington University, where he earned
his Ph.D. in 2016.
His research focuses on comparative politics in the Middle East, tribalism, water distribution, and gender.
From 2013-2014, Scott served as a David L. Boren Fellow for the Arabic language. As a Visiting Research Fellow
at the American University of Kuwait, he conducted historical archival research and interviewed tribal leaders,
students, and former government officials in Kuwait. He has also conducted fieldwork in Oman, Jordan, and Israel.
Scott's written work has been published by the Washington Post, Diplomatic Courier, Long War Journal, and
the Project on Middle East Political Science. He has also published with the Carnegie Endowment
and the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Scott chairs the Middle East Discussion Group of YPFP,
a 10,000-member global foreign policy organization based in Washington, DC.
Secretary & Host of The Hay Podcast
Dr. Alex Braithwaite
Alex Braithwaite is Professor and Director of the International Relations Ph.D. Program at the University of Arizona. His research and teaching focuses on the causes and contagion of violent and nonviolent conflict,
including terrorism, protests, riots, civil war, and international wars.
Alex'sresearch demonstrates that incidents of violent political conflict cluster in space and time, that openings
in political opportunity structures encourage the contagion of violence between groups and across national borders,
and that terrorist groups commonly exploit so-called spoiler opportunities in an attempt to derail plans for peace.
Alex holds a BA in War Studies & History from King's College London(1999), and also an MA and Ph.D. in
Political Science from Pennsylvania State University (2006).
Board Member & Editor-in-Chief of The Hay Journal
Kelly Keehan Cheung
Kelly Cheung has twelve years of experience in the international development arena, designing and managing programs in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
She is currently the Senior Labor Analyst for Global Public Policy Analyst at The Walt Disney Company, where she manages a Corporate Social Responsibility portfolio focused on initiatives that address the root cause issues of poor working conditions and human trafficking in global supply chains. Previously, Kelly focused on innovation and technology solutions for international development at FHI 360. She also has experience developing community-based grants, implementing economic strengthening programs and conducting field-based evaluation research.
Kelly holds an MA in International Economics from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA in International Affairs from the George Washington University.
Treasurer