Julya Sahakyan has ten years of experience working in the development sector in Armenia. She is Senior Program Manager at Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF), where she manages EPF’s Good Governance portfolio, including Civic Engagement and Civil Society Development projects. She has extensive experience of managing large scale donor-funded projects. Prior to joining EPF, Julya worked for CRRC Armenia, USAID funded Support to Armenian National Assembly Program.
Julya has a Master’s Degree from American University of Armenia, Department of Political Science and International Affairs and another Master’s Degree from University of Glasgow, UK, in Public Policy and Management. She studied at Riga Graduate School of Law, Advanced Program in Law and Economics for Eastern Europe and Central Asian Countries. Julya is a member of several regional and international networks and initiatives.

Anar Huseynov has over 20 years of experience in marketing, corporate communications, and business development.
Anar is a PR Director of NEQSOL Holding, a multinational group with operations across energy, telecommunications, hi-tech, and construction sectors in eleven countries. His career journey includes leadership roles with top organizations like Nobel Energy, PASHA Bank, and Bank Respublika, along with teaching as a visiting lecturer at the Azerbaijan State University of Economics and the Azerbaijan Bank Training Center.
Anar’s academic accomplishments include an Executive MBA, completed with distinction, from the Maastricht School of Management (Netherlands) and ADA University (Azerbaijan), alongside a Bachelor’s Degree from Azerbaijan State University of Economics.

Ahmad Fahim Didar, an Afghan entrepreneur, mentors individuals in entrepreneurship and self-determined living. As a collaborator with Startup Grind and CMX, he oversees chapters in 125 countries, gaining a unique global perspective on entrepreneurship and communities. Ahmad co-founded the impACT platform, a global initiative empowering entrepreneurs to drive positive societal change. He established Aghaez Professional Services, a consulting firm focused on entrepreneurship, workforce, and community development projects. His dedication to entrepreneurship and community building is evident through these initiatives. Throughout his career, Ahmad has partnered with governments, corporations, and development agencies to design and implement entrepreneurship programs, leaving a significant impact on communities and economies across 11 countries. Currently, Ahmad is deeply involved in global entrepreneurship, particularly in the Middle East and Central Asia. He shares his expertise to inspire innovation, foster growth, and create lasting positive change in these vibrant regions.

Gvantsa Murghvliani is a management professional with 10 + years of working experience in the Banking sector in Georgia. Her main area of expertise is HR, Change management, Lean Management, Business Transformation, and Organizational Development. Currently, she holds the Head of Human Capital position at TBC group. Gvantsa holds an Executive Diploma in Organizational Leadership from the University of Oxford, Said Business School. She was awarded the First Oxford Diploma Scholarship for Women. Furthermore, she graduated from Lund University, Sweden, and holds the degree of Master of Science in Business and Economics with a specialization – In managing People, Knowledge, and Change. Gvantsa also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgian Technical University in Computer Science.
Gvantsa is involved in teaching and training. Her main areas are leadership, organizational behavior, and change management. Gvantsa Murghvliani is CELA 9. She resides in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Mandkhai is an upcoming Wayfinder Life Coach dedicated to personal development who translates books and leads various workshops. Her career spans freelance journalism, event organization, and project management. A devoted CELA member since 2017, Mandkhai has honed her leadership skills further as the charter president of the Rotaract Club of Nairamdal in Mongolia.
She holds an MBA from the University of Applied Science Anhalt, Germany, and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Utah, USA. Beyond her professional life, Mandkhai balances her career with family as a dedicated mother of two daughters, and she recently ventured into India for an immersive yoga science study. Her creativity shines through in her filmmaking, having directed two short movies and winning a local award for one.

Sholpan is a Deputy Regional Director at Columbia University Global Health Research Center of Central Asia, dedicated to developing evidence-based solutions for emerging public health issues. Her role involves co-investigating significant studies in Kazakhstan, focusing on gender-based violence, HIV care linkage, and reducing stigma to promote HIV testing among youth. Armed with a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University and qualifications in Pharmacy, Finance, Jurisprudence, and Bioethics, her educational achievements are noteworthy.
Sholpan has received accolades such as the U.S. Department of State scholarship for the International Visitors Leadership Program and recognition for Leadership and Excellence from Columbia University.
Sholpan is a member of CELA 14 and has served as the CELA Kazakhstan Council since 2019. She is also a Vice President of Kazakhstan Columbia Alumni Association and actively involved in various boards and initiatives. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Sholpan enjoys skiing, global travel, and expanding her social circle.

Jarkyn Samanchina (CELA'13) has 20 years of experience in wildlife conservation, leading projects for a British NGO Fauna & Flora in Kyrgyzstan. Her work focuses on protecting endangered species like snow leopard, saker falcon, steppe tortoise and Menzbier’s marmot, as well as wild plants, including wild tulips, apples and pears, through surveys, capacity building, management plans, community support, and combating illegal wildlife trade across Central Asia. Jarkyn holds degrees in International Relations and Political Science from institutions in the USA, Turkey, Italy, and Kyrgyzstan. She has also taught at the International University of Kyrgyzstan and AUCA, and is involved in educational, charity, and art projects.

Gulnora Mukhamadieva leads gender equality integration in programs and provides strategic direction for the Aga Khan Foundation’s civil society portfolio in South and Central Asia.
She has been with the AKF for over two years. Gulnora has worked with development agencies such as (former) UK’s Department for International Development, Swiss Development Cooperation, and GIZ in Central Asia, as well as UN Women, UN Relief and Works Agency, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Jordan Her experience and expertise focus on governance and social development: public administration reforms, public finance management, migration management, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, strategic planning. She is passionate about social justice, gender equality, and girl’s empowerment. Gulnora holds a Master’s in Development Studies from the University of Leeds. Gulnora speaks English, Russian, and Tajik.

Aziz Akhundjanov is a Uzbek entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in IT, Telecommunications, the Internet industry, and entrepreneurship. He is co-founder and CEO of a family business that will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024.

Aziz collaborates widely with global organizations to drive improvement and positive change in Uzbekistan. He is working on the establishment of the Uz Internet Service Providers Association to unite Telecom industry players and contribute to improvement in several initiatives, including infrastructure development projects.

Throughout his career, Aziz has partnered with governmental organizations, international corporations, and development agencies to build a platform for collaboration and implement International experience, significantly impacting the Internet industry. Aziz is deeply involved in the global Telecom community and has established partnerships with 10 countries worldwide. He also worked as a lead in the Internet Providers Expert Council, and he is currently included as a member of Program Committees in the newly organized Central Asia Peering and Interconnection Forum, which is held yearly in the region. He shares his expertise towards sustainable development and innovations, fosters international cooperation, and is dedicated to lasting positive change.

Muzaffar Atamirzaev is a Partner/CEO of the International Lending Center based in Moscow. Mr. Atamirzaev was a core CELA staff member from 2008 to 2013. For the previous years, he worked in the microfinance field of Uzbekistan. Earlier, Mr. Atamirzaev worked at the Social Complex division of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan for several years.
Mr. Atamirzaev holds an MA in Economics from Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics in Moscow and BA in Economics & Management from the Tashkent Transport Engineering Institute, coupled with research at the WBI in Washington DC. In 2005, he studied lending to SMEs in Arizona State University on a Cochran Fellowship.

Meade Sutterfield is an angel investor in tech enabled services with 32 investments over three decades. After graduation from Georgia Tech (BEE) and Harvard (MBA) he began a career in technology companies. In 1985 and 1991 he founded two regional wireless carriers which merged into the rollup creating Nextel Communications.
He is active in volunteer leadership at Georgia Tech and is a past Chair of the SIBF and the Global Network Foundation (GNF). In 2002, he was one of the founders of CELA and has participated in the MELA and SEALA programs as well.
He is married to Susan and they have four married children and nine grandchildren.

Steven Raab is the Chairman of The InSource Group, which provides a variety of Information Technology services and highly qualified Information Technology professionals to its commercial clients on a contract basis. The Insource Group was a three-time qualifier in the SMU Cox Business School of Business Dallas 100, has received numerous other awards, and previously was recognized as one Texas’ fastest growing Women Owned Businesses.
Mr. Raab began his technical career at IBM, where he held various line and staff management positions in sales and vertical industry markets over a period of 17 years. He also has been the founder and President of his own custom home building company, Executive Vice President of Real Estate and Real Estate Lending for Champion Savings & Loan, and EVP of Real Time Financial Systems, Inc.
He is the past President and member of the board of The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, past Board Chair and Board member of Social Venture Partners Dallas, board member of Social Venture Partners International. Steven served as a facilitator at MELA, CELA and SEALA programs.
Steven is keenly interested in geopolitics, international security, and foreign affairs and in that pursuit, he is a member of The Tower Center Forum at SMU, World Affairs Council of Dallas/Ft. Worth and Dallas Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Raab is a Fox Hunter and is also interested in social innovation, travel, hand and shot gun sports (particularly skeet/sporting clays) and reading.
Steven is currently pursuing a Bachelors in International Relations and Political Science at Southern Methodist University.