2011 Human Rights and National Security Reform Alums

FAHD AHMED | Legal Policy Director, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM)Fahd Ahmed joined DRUM in 2000 as a volunteer organizer, and led the work with Muslim, Arab, and South Asian immigrant detainees before, and immediately after 9/11. Currently, Fahd is leading DRUM’s End Racial Profiling Campaign, which will document NYC Muslim communities’ interactions with law enforcement agencies and pursue legislative and policy changes to end racial and religious profiling. Fahd was also a recipient of the Haywood Burns Fellowship from the National Lawyers Guild, served as an Ella Baker intern at the Center for Constitutional Rights, as a legal consultant with Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana in New Orleans, and as a lecturer and researcher on Islamophobia, National Security, and social movements at the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. Fahd has also been active in the Muslim community as an activist.

KEVIN BANKSTON | Senior Staff Attorney, Electronic Frontier FoundationKevin Bankston is a Senior Staff Attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), specializing in free speech and privacy law with a focus on government surveillance, Internet privacy, and location privacy. He regularly litigates and advocates at the federal policy level on issues surrounding electronic surveillance of communications and location, and is currently a lead counsel in EFF’s lawsuits against the National Security Agency and AT&T challenging the legality of the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program. Before joining EFF in 2003 and after receiving his J.D. from the University of Southern California in 2001, he was the Justice William J. Brennan First Amendment Fellow for the American Civil Liberties Union, where he litigated Internet-related free speech cases.

AMY BENNETT | Program Associate, OpenTheGovernment.orgAmy Bennett is a Program Associate at OpenTheGovernment.org, where she works extensively on the organization’s coalition partner outreach and on policy issues, including reforming the state secrets privilege, reducing over classification, improving whistleblower protections, and increasing openness and accountability of the federal government. Prior to joining the coalition, she earned a Master in Public Policy from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI). Amy has previous experience working for a small start-up non-profit, as a lobbyist for government relations firms, and as an aide for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).

MAYA BERRY | Executive Director, Arab American InstituteMaya Berry is the Executive Director of the Arab American Institute. Working in social change for over 20 years, Maya provides the political and policy agenda for the organization.
Established in 1985 and based in Washington, DC, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is a non-profit, nonpartisan national leadership organization. AAI was created to nurture and encourage the direct participation of Arab Americans in political and civic life in the United States. AAI represents the policy and community interests of Arab Americans throughout the United States and strives to promote Arab American participation in the U.S. electoral system. The Institute focuses on two areas: campaigns and elections and policy formation and research. AAI strives to serve as a central resource to government officials, the media, political leaders and community groups on a variety of public policy issues that concern Arab Americans and U.S.–Arab relations.

DEVON CHAFFEE | Legislative Counsel, Washington Legislative Office, American Civil Liberties Union

As Legislative Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union’s national office in Washington, DC. Devon advocates to bring U.S. law and policy in line with its international human rights obligations. Before coming to the ACLU, Devon served as Advocacy Counsel at Human Rights First focusing on U.S. counter-terrorism and national security policies. In this role, she led Human Rights First executive branch and congressional advocacy on counterterrorism issues, served as an observer to the military commissions proceedings in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, testified before the Helsinki Commission on the laws prohibiting cruel interrogation, and co-authored a joint Human Rights First/Physicians for Human Rights report Leave No Marks: Enhanced Interrogation Techniques and the Risk of Criminality. Devon received her J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center (2006) where she was a Public Interest Law Scholar and her B.A. from Hampshire College (2001) in International Relations and Human Rights.

NUSRAT CHOUDHURY | Staff Attorney, National Security Project, American Civil Liberties UnionNusrat Choudhury litigates cases concerning post-9/11 civil rights and civil liberties violations, including a challenge to the federal government’s administration of the No-Fly List and a challenge to the role of U.S. government officials in the illegal detention, rendition, and coercive interrogation of a U.S. citizen in East Africa. Ms. Choudhury pursues strategies to combat racial profiling and other infringements of the civil rights and liberties of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities’ post-9/11. She received her B.A. from Columbia University, and is a graduate of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Yale Law School. Prior to joining NSP, Ms. Choudhury worked as a Marvin A. Karpatkin Fellow in the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program, and served as a clerk for Judge Barrington D. Parker in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and for Judge Denise Cote in the Southern District of New York.

DAPHNE EVIATAR | Senior Associate, Law and Security, Human Rights FirstDaphne Eviatar is a senior associate in the Law & Security program at Human Rights First. She previously worked as a journalist, writing for the New York Times, Harper’s, Newsweek International and many others. Before turning to journalism, she was a staff attorney at Children’s Rights, Inc. in New York.

ELIZABETH (LIZA) GOITEIN | Co-Director, Liberal and National Security Program, Brennan Center for JusticeElizabeth (Liza) Goitein co-directs the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program, which seeks to advance effective national security policies that respect constitutional values and the rule of law. Before coming to the Brennan Center, she served as counsel to Senator Russ Feingold on the Senate Judiciary Committee and as trial counsel in the Federal Programs Branch of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. She graduated from the Yale Law School and clerked for Judge Michael Daly Hawkins on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

LYNN FAHSELT | Co-Founder & Executive Director, ReThink MediaLynn Fahselt is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of ReThink Media, the first strategic media institute focused exclusively on strengthening the media, communications and collaborative capacity of NGOs, experts, and funders working in the fields of disarmament, nonproliferation, conflict prevention, human and civil rights, international law and peace. Lynn has more than twenty years experience specializing in strategic communications, messaging and media analysis and in advocacy campaigns on national security, human rights and foreign policy issues. Prior to launching ReThink Media, Lynn completed her Masters in Global Communications and was part of an international team conducting groundbreaking research in a five country study of globalization themes in television news coverage.

AMY FERRER | Associate Director, Bill of Rights Defense CommitteeAmy Ferrer is the associate director of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC), a national grassroots organization defending the rule of law and rights and liberties threatened by national security and counter-terrorism policies. She manages BORDC’s communications, media outreach, and web presence. Amy has a master’s degree from the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and has previously worked in reproductive rights advocacy, social justice, and community health education.

SAMEERA HAFIZ | Policy Director, Rights Working GroupSameera Hafiz is the Policy Director of Rights Working Group where she leads and coordinates advocacy efforts and develops strategies to advance RWG’s policy agenda. RWG is a coalition of over 300 civil and human rights, immigrant rights, and national security organizations formed in the aftermath of 9/11 to restore due process and human rights protections and to ensure the rights of all people in the US are respected.

TALAT HAMDANI | Steering Committee Meeting, September Eleventh Families for Peaceful TomorrowsTalat Hamdani is the mother of Mohammad Salman Hamdani, a first responder and NYPD Cadet who gave his life saving fellow Americans at World Trade Center on 9/11/01. She sat through the King’s radicalization hearings and is an advocate for civil liberties of American Muslims in post 9/11 era.

JEANNE HERRICK-STARE | Policy Counsel, The Center for Victims of TortureJeanne Herrick-Stare serves as Policy Counsel for the Washington D.C. advocacy office of the Center for Victims of Torture. Her advocacy issues include accountability for post-9/11 torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment perpetrated by the U.S. on intelligence and counterterrorism detainees; indefinite detention; and support for a durable national consensus against the use of torture.

ZEKE JOHNSON | Director, Security with Human Rights Campaign, Amnesty International USA
Zeke Johnson is the Director of Amnesty International USA’s Security with Human Rights Campaign. Prior to joining Amnesty International, Zeke was Photography Editor of V Magazine and earned a BA with high honors in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley.

PARDISS KEBRIAEI | Staff Attorney, Center for Constitutional RightsPardiss Kebriaei is a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York, where she engages in litigation and advocacy for the defense of men detained at Guantanamo. Her work includes challenging other aspects of US national security policy, including targeted killing, and seeking accountability for the crimes of the Bush administration. She joined CCR in 2007, before which she was an attorney in the international program at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

ATEQAH KHAKI | Senior Communications Strategist, American Civil Liberties UnionAteqah Khaki is a senior communications strategist at the ACLU where she works to develop and implement strategic communications plans and projects related to the organization’s national security; human rights; speech, privacy and technology work. Prior to joining the ACLU, Ateqah worked at Riptide Communications, a human rights and social justice-focused public relations firm, where she advised clients on communications strategy and worked to place stories about her clients’ work in the media. Ateqah studied sociology at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and in her spare time she can be found photographing hearts and managing her independent project in response to Islamaphobia on the rise, www.MyBestFriendIsMuslim.com.

AFSHAN KHOJA | Communications and Research Analyst, Aga Khan Development NetworkAfshan Khoja is the Communications and Research Associate at the Aga Khan Development Network, based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Prior to this, Afshan was the Communications Manager at South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national, nonpartisan, non-profit organization based in the D.C. Metropolitan area. Afshan is a communications specialist with international public affairs experience. She has worked as a reporter for a news magazine in Karachi, Pakistan, and has experience working in public affairs, marketing and media. Afshan received a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in Communications (Journalism) from Boston University. Afshan is originally from Karachi, Pakistan, and is always willing to share stories about home!

JAMES LAMOND | Policy Analyst, National Security NetworkJames Lamond is the Policy Analyst at the National Security Network where he heads up the research and policy team. Among a number of issue areas, James focuses on terrorism and homeland security including the intersection between national security and human rights. A native of New Jersey, James holds a BA in History from Rowan University and a MS in Global Affairs from Rutgers University.

NURA MAZNAVI | Counsel, Program to End Racial and Religious Profiling, Muslim AdvocatesNura Maznavi is an attorney at Muslim Advocates, leading its Program to End Racial and Religious Profiling which focuses on federal policies that target the American Muslim community, including FBI surveillance and border profiling. Prior to joining Muslim Advocates, Nura was an associate with the law firm Rosen, Bien & Galvan in San Francisco, litigating prisoner rights class actions on behalf of California state prisoners. Nura received her BA in Politics from Pomona College in 2000 and her JD in 2003 from The George Washington University School of Law.

ALLISON MCGUIRE | Congressional Program Director, National Security NetworkAllison McGuire is the Congressional Program Director at the National Security Network. Allison brings to NSN congressional, human and civil rights, and international experience through her work on Capitol Hill, with organizations such as MassEquality, and UK Member of Parliament Karen Buck’s office. She moved to NSN from her job as National Security & Human Right Program Director at ProgressiveCongress.org, where she served as a conduit between the Congressional Progressive Caucus and outside allies. Through distilling relevant reports, convening briefings and hearings, and moderating panels, Allison created an extensive network and echo chamber on and off Capitol Hill. Prior to ProgressiveCongress.org, she served as the Senior Democratic Fellow on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission under the Committee of Foreign Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a Partner with the Truman National Security Project.

MICHAEL PRICE | Counsel, Liberty & National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice

Michael Price serves as counsel for the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, which seeks to ensure that our government respects human rights and fundamental freedoms in conducting the fight against terrorism. Before joining the Brennan Center, Mr. Price was the National Security Coordinator for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, where he provided legal assistance for the defense of detainees in the military commissions at Guantanamo Bay. Mr. Price also engaged in litigation and public advocacy on issues related to privacy, electronic searches and surveillance, and government secrecy. Prior to graduating from NYU School of Law in 2008, Mr. Price was the student research director for NYU’s Center on Law and Security, an intern with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, a symposium editor for the Journal of International Law and Politics, and a student advocate in NYU’s International Human Rights Clinic, where he represented two Yemeni nationals detained and tortured in secret CIA “black sites.” He holds a BA from Columbia University in Political Science and Middle East & Asian Languages and Cultures.

LINDA SARSOUR | Advocacy and Civic Engagement Coordinator, ACCESS / National Network for Arab American Communities

Linda Sarsour is the Advocacy and Civic Engagement Coordinator for the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) and ACCESS-MI and locally serving as the Director of the Arab American Association of New York, a direct service/advocacy organization serving the Arab community in NYC. Linda is also a board member of the New York Immigration Coalition, a coalition of over 250 nonprofit agencies serving the diverse immigrant communities of New York State. Linda’s strengths are in the areas of community development, alliance building, youth empowerment, community organizing, civic engagement and immigrants’ rights advocacy.

GINNY SLOAN | President, The Constitution Project

Virginia E. Sloan is the President and Founder of The Constitution Project, which includes Rule of Law and Criminal Justice Programs. She serves on its Board of Directors, as well as those of the Southern Center for Human Rights and the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project. She is a Council member of the ABA’s Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section, Director of its Constitutional Rights Division, and Chair of its Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project. In May, 2008, the Legal Times honored her as one of 30 “Champions,” who have had the greatest impact on the Washington legal community over the last 30 years and whose community and public service has set an example that other D.C. lawyers should follow.

ADA WILLIAMS PRINCE | Director, Policy and Advocacy, OneAmerica

Ada Williams Prince is OneAmerica’s Policy Director and holds a B.A. from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont and an M.A. in Development Studies from Bradford University, England. She has worked with refugees since 1994 beginning in Nepal with Bhutanese refugees. Prior to OneAmerica, Ada was the Senior Advocacy Officer for the Women’s Refugee Commission, leading advocacy efforts with the UN and the NGO community, pushing for global systemic change to improve the lives and protect the rights of refugees and displaced persons. She has worked with many organizations including the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Survivors, Save the Children UK, Refugees International, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance/USAID and has served on the board of the Refugee Women’s Alliance in Seattle and as Chair of the Board of Directors of Wandsworth Women’s Aid UK, a domestic violence shelter.