Aniqa Nawabi

Aniqa Nawabi is a public service professional with over a decade of experience in civil society leadership and government. She currently works for the New York State government as Director of Special Initiatives, managing $200 million+ economic and housing development projects. Additionally, she serves as an Adjunct faculty at New York University (NYU) teaching the course, Business of Nonprofit Management.

Aniqa started her career as an Assistant Research Scholar, working for the Senior Economic Advisor to the President of Afghanistan (2009-2014), where she focused on international aid projects in Afghanistan and provided economic research and analysis on post-conflict states. After gaining her Master’s in Public Administration degree from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service, she worked for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working at the intersections of poverty alleviation, sustainable development, peacebuilding, and economic empowerment.

She was appointed as the Executive Director of an NGO, the Muslim Community Network (MCN) from 2018-2023 where she helped launch an international interfaith engagement program for Muslim youth focused on peace-building and conflict resolution and advocated for legislation that combated hate. From program development, fundraising, and public relations, to organizational growth and sustainability, Aniqa shares her experience to help build civil society capacity, provide research and analysis, and strategy for organizational and operational excellence.