Ahmed Sirleaf

A seasoned international development, rule of law, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) professional, with over a combined decade of experience in planning and managing complex donor (international cooperation affairs), transitional justice, and international human rights programs. An experienced public speaker, writer, negotiator, and a self-growth coach. Currently, Ahmed is the program officer for Pathways Home, Greater Twin Cities United Way’s (community foundation in Minnesota, USA) innovation initiative that will transform the Midwest region’s homeless response system and prevent homelessness in two key populations: Youth existing foster care and adults involved with the justice system. Prior to United Way, Ahmed worked for Hennepin County (Minnesota’s largest county) and was responsible for county-wide homeless prevention through the Family Homeless Prevention Assistance Program (FHPAP—a state legislated homeless response fund) and federal Covid-19 Emergency Rental Assistance programs.

  
Until October 2017, Ahmed was the Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) Advisor with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Overseas Missions/Liberia. His experience includes project design and management, designing systems for planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning. He has coordinated donor strategic partnerships, managed complex donor, civil society, and host country government collaboration efforts, and has advised the Government of Liberia on donor aid coordination and public sector governance. He has given workshops and webinar presentations to numerous professional and academic institutions; locally, nationally, and internationally.

Over the years, he has garnered a wide range of skills, which include large group facilitation, legal and policy research, and has excellent communication and strategic planning skills, including having served as a manager of a complex $21 million USAID-funded Liberia Strategic Analysis (LSA) as the contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). He co-designed the activity for improved program coordination for better development outcomes of USAID’s $840+ million portfolios in Liberia.

As an educator, Ahmed has taught courses in Global Politics, Defense and Security, Peacebuilding, and Leadership and Governance at the University of Liberia’s Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation (KAICT). Additionally, he is a frequent guest lecturer at the Gabriel L. Dennis Foreign Service Institute (FSI) under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Liberia. There, he has provided workshops, lectures and practical training to recently appointed ambassadors and other foreign service officers of the Liberian foreign service. 

Ahmed is a doctoral candidate in Comparative and International Development Education (CIDE) in the College of Education and Human Development. He studies under the advisory of Professor Elizabeth Sumida Huaman, Ph.D., in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, where he previously earned a master’s in public affairs (MPA) from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. His doctoral research focuses on Collective Action in addressing complex social problems, particularly in international development and the public sector in Sub-Saharan African countries. His research explores the intersections of economic and socio-cultural development and international higher education—investigating Collective Action, specifically, examining how international donor aid coordination happens on the ground in Liberia’s education sector.
 

Awards

• Certificate of Appreciation, U.S. Mission / Liberia, 2017
  For outstanding performance, enthusiasm, and dedication in organizing and supporting the very successful, first-ever Liberia Development Conference in January 2017
• Certificate of Appreciation, U.S. Mission / Liberia, 2016
  For general leadership, vision, and dedication in promulgating continuous learning and adaptation in USAID/Liberia’s portfolio, and for bringing to life the Mission’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning contract, Liberia Strategic Analysis
• First Decade Outstanding Achievement Award, Hamline University Alumni Association, 2015
  An annual award which recognizes an alumnus/a whose work has positively impacted humanity in extraordinary ways within the first 10 years of their career after graduation
• Art Naftalin Public Service Award, University of Minnesota-Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2012
  Awarded for outstanding local and international public service
• Outstanding Community and Public Leadership Award, MShale, 2010
  MShale Newspaper's African Community Leadership Award
• UST Human Rights Award, University of St. Thomas School of Law, 2008
  Honor conferred for legal and scholarly work to uphold the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights