ALUMNI AROUND THE GLOBE

Over its 20-year legacy of promoting professional and intellectual growth while advancing an international perspective on social sectors, the International Public Policy and Management (IPPAM) program at the USC Price School of Public Policy has served as a springboard for many global leaders.

Middle East IPPAM Alumni

North America IPPAM Alumni

South America IPPAM Alumni

East Asia IPPAM Alumni

South & Southeast Asia IPPAM Alumni

Eurasia IPPAM Alumni

Middle East IPPAM Alumni

Central Asia IPPAM Alumni

Africa IPPAM Alumni

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Rasha Alkhamis is a management consultant who works for a multinational firm within the strategy domain in the TMT sector. Rasha is well known for being a multi-sports enthusiast. A board member on the Women’s Committee under the Saudi Arabia Olympic Committee. She is also a board member on the Saudi and Asian Boxing Federations. Rasha is a four time Guinness World Records holder for playing the highest, lowest, longest and most diverse soccer matches in history. Rasha is a semi-professional footballer and is the first woman to become a certified boxing coach in Saudi Arabia earning her accreditation from the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation. She uses her skills as a coach to inspire other women in Saudi Arabia and has been influential in growing the sport for women in Saudi Arabia. Currently, Rasha works is a full-time management consultant with a multinational firm working on Sports projects such as sports mass participation, developing strategies for federations, high-performance athlete pathways, Sports monetization, and privatizations.



Rasha earned her master’s degree from the University of Southern California in International Public Policy and Management in 2013 after graduating from King Saud University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2011. Rasha currently resides in Riyadh where she continues to encourage and promote other women to become elite athletes.

Rasha AlkhamisIPPAM 16
Prior to enrolling in the IPPAM program, Shamsa Basaeed holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and Foreign Languages from the Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (PSUAD), UAE. In addition, she joined the internship program at the Ministry of Foreign Trade in the area of Trade Negotiation and WTO. Shamsa was interested in furthering her education with a global perspective and became the first Emirati woman to complete the IPPAM program at the University of Southern California in 2017.



Shamsa feels that the core strength of the program does not only lie in the level of detail covered in the coursework, but also the open nature of the people in the program that fosters an inviting environment, especially for international students and the best professors. In particular, Shamsa feels that the IPPAM program has a significant focus on developing relationships and networking: this was not simply restricted to the classroom; rather it also gives students a broader understanding of international cultures.



The IPPAM experience has helped Shamsa succeed in her current role as one of youngest Senior Analysts in the field of Enterprise Risk Management and Business Continuity Management at one of largest Oil and Gas Companies in Abu Dhabi the capital city of UAE. Shamsa feels that IPPAM has contributed enormously to her leadership potential that enables her to make informative decisions based on data and consultations. Shamsa’s work also included development of risk structures that relied extensively on having good communication and negotiation training, and in this regard, the importance of the IPPAM program at USC was paramount. Group coordination and analysis are effective skills which Shamsa uses in her daily life, and an international experience in the IPPAM program has also enhanced her skills in that regard.



“I feel that IPPAM had a positive impact on me in terms of organizational skills at international level”

Shamsa BasaeedIPPAM 19
Ahmad Majidyar joined IPPAM in 2016 as a Fulbright Scholar from Afghanistan. Before joining IPPAM, he worked with the Government of Afghanistan as Vice President for Investment Affairs at Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA). At AISA, he managed a team of over 100 experts to register, support and promote domestic and foreign investments in Afghanistan.



“I received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study in the US. I chose to join IPPAM because of the reputation of Price School of Public Policy and the curriculum they offer that is up to date and a blend of theoretical and analytical modules necessary for analyzing the current global challenges.”



IPPAM broadened Ahmad’s understanding of how development takes place globally- especially in some of the most vulnerable conditions. The program equipped him with skills to analyze the challenges and recommend policy solutions reflecting international best practices.



After graduating from IPPAM, Ahmad joined SHELADIA Associates, Inc. SHELADIA is a Washington, DC metropolitan area based international consulting firm that provides engineering services to governments in over 50 countries across Asia and Africa. The company provides consultancy in transportation, water resources management, energy, and M&E sectors. Currently, Ahmad leads the Business Development Division. “ At SHELADIA, I am responsible for designing strategies to expand their business to new markets, capture new business, build partnerships with international financing institutions (USAID, World Bank, ADB, AfDB, etc.), and assist in developing proposals to bid for infrastructure projects. I have been utilizing all the skills I gained from studying at IPPAM while designing strategic plans, analyzing infrastructure issues across the developing world, and contributing to providing solutions that are reflected in the concept papers or proposals submitted by the company to the Clients.”



IPPAM gave Ahmad new skills to build a new career in the consulting industry.

Ahmad Waleed MajidyarIPPAM 19
Tuncay Serdaroğlu was born in İzmir, Turkey and completed his B.S. and M.S degrees in Economics Department from Middle East Technical University in Ankara. He has been working for T.R. Presidency, Presidency of Strategy and Budget as a Strategy and Budget Expert in the General Directorate of Economic Modelling and Conjuncture Evaluation since 2009, specializes in macroeconomics management with an emphasis on structural policy issues. He contributes to advancing macro policies that will be conducive to enhance productivity in Turkey that is the main source of prosperity in the long-term. He represented the Turkish delegation in several expert meetings on the European Commission’s macroeconomic forecasts for candidate countries as well as in Turkey-EU Association Committee in Brussels. He also represented the Turkish delegation in the negotiations conducted with the IMF in the context of Chapter IV and he regularly represented his institution in the related works of Plan-Budget Commission of Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He had also served as a specialist assistant for the Economic Research Department of Vakıfbank, one of the leading financial institutions in Turkey, for more than a year.



After graduating from IPPAM program, Tuncay is now back to his work in T.R. Presidency, Presidency of Strategy and Budget to serve back to his country in its development efforts. He continues to prepare conceptual papers, policy briefs, speaking points, presentations and other analytical work on economic policy analysis to inform and support high level officials and the Minister. At the same time, he started to pursue his PhD in Science and Technology Policy Studies Program at METU. New skills and qualifications he generated in policy making, implementing and evaluating at IPPAM opened him new avenues in policy making through concentrating on innovation policies with a cross-disciplinary approach. His aim is to advocate sustainable and inclusive ways of improved well-being through sound development policies.



In IPPAM Tuncay experienced the nexus of academic knowledge and real-world relevance. The program, housed in the vibrant community of the Price School, deepened his understanding of critical global issues. It equipped him with skills to craft smart policies and to exert leadership to meet challenges and improve the lives of his society and humanity in an ever-changing world.



These two years that he has experienced here in USC has been one of the most productive, exciting, and beautiful periods of Tuncay’s life. Besides academic enrichment, he met with Trojans from all over the world who are committed to development, with whom they generate ideas together to help people get a better education, find decent jobs, ideas to promote effective means of governance, encourage innovation, preserve environment and new ideas to create lasting social prosperity.



Life at USC empowered students with the state of the art knowledge and skills that will act as an impetus in advancing public interest. Equally important is that the social network students built here in IPPAM has extended far beyond the classroom and continues as a life-long friendship. In Tuncay’s view, Trojan fellowship means having a global sensitivity based on shared understanding on critical issues to provide a better future for our countries. This has flourished through numerous seminars, events, field trips and activities which make IPPAM a world-class program. Having participated in annual international ASPA conferences, site visits to the Congress in Washington D.C., State Capitol in Sacramento, World Bank headquarter, as well as attending special sections and visits organized in various institutions and administrations help Tuncay advance his professional development and provided him a golden opportunity to stay at the cutting edge of public policy and administration.



In IPPAM, Tuncay experienced a continuous learning environment and an unprecedented network of knowledge for public service for today and tomorrow. The courses that cut across various fields of public policy enriched him with a nuanced understanding of effective policy-making under the complexity of our economies and societies. Further, IPPAM’s peer learning environment formed by diversity of people with different perspectives and skills helped him advance his interpersonal and leadership skills, which become ever more important in an era where students face an accelerated pace of change.

Tuncay SerdaroğluIPPAM 20
Bassam Albathi is a family physician who completed the International Public Policy and Management program in 2010. He is currently the head of one of the Primary Health Centers in Kuwait, and believes that the IPPAM program helped him become more skilled in hospital management. During his time at USC, he felt that everyone in IPPAM was “One Family,” and that IPPAM helps students who eventually become employers to manage their work and professional duties more efficiently.

Bassam AlbathiIPPAM 12
Deniz received her BS in Economics and worked for seven years for the Treasury in the Turkish Government. As a treasury expert, she work primarily on Turkey-European Union relations, and economic harmonization policies. The course PPD 571: International Public Policy and Management Seminar with Dr. Rym Kaki was helpful for Deniz’s professional development because she had the chance to learn about the terms of the public policy making process, and how these policies are implemented. Dr. Kaki made a big impact on her not only through the great lectures, but because of Dr. Kaki’s personality as well. Deniz’s favorite aspect of the IPPAM Program was the close relations among IPPAM family members together with the program directors, lecturers, staff members, and students.

IPPAM is more than a master’s program, and provides a cozy environment for students. IPPAM is unique with its social events like the annual talent show, Thanksgiving dinner, and Secret Santa gift exchange. By being a part of these special events, the students learned not only about our classmates, but also about their cultures, traditional foods, and their families. IPPAM is a concise picture of the world with its cultural diversity. After being a part of the IPPAM family, Deniz has Kazakh, Armenian, Taiwanese, and Indonesian sisters, and Japanese, American, Chinese, and Arabic brothers. She has not heard of such a unique master’s program from her friends studying at other universities. Deniz feels very lucky for choosing IPPAM, and for having been chosen by IPPAM.

Deniz Uygur YalamaIPPAM 18
Ani Apyan was born and grew up in the beautiful city of Yerevan, Armenia. She received her bachelor’s at the Yerevan State Linguistic University in Brusov majored in Linguistics and Italian-English languages. While she was an undergraduate student, the Armenian government initiated higher educational reforms within the Bologna Process to customize the educational system to the European model. While the model of the reforms was promising, the implementation had many gaps. Ani witnessed the social inequity in education that left many students from lower socio-economic backgrounds the most impacted by the wrong implementation of the reforms. Thus, she wanted to learn more about how policies were shaped and which administrative bodies should be responsible for the correct implementation. For this reason, she started a master’s in public administration at Yerevan State University. In Armenia she worked as a research assistant for different public and private research projects.


Not long after starting her professional career in Armenia she moved to the USA with her family. She realized that if she wanted to be a successful member of the new society and apply her prior knowledge to develop her new residency, she needed to understand the local policy context. And this led her to the University of Southern California, where she started a Master’s in International Public Policy and Management degree. What she liked about the IPPAM program is that it had an inter-disciplinary approach, which allowed her to learn about the public policy process and apply it in the discipline of educational studies. Because of its international focus, she was also able to observe the comparative political economy and learn how different countries address specific policy issues.


IPPAM strengthened her leadership and communication skills, as well as strategic thinking to become a change maker towards a more equitable society. IPPAM was the home where she learned the steps to succeed. She calls IPPAM a home for many reasons. IPPAM taught her to balance her time and be a noble student while dedicating time to her family and personal life. Everyone at IPPAM was there to support her major life moments, such as the birth of her daughter while she was still enrolled in the program.

Ani ApyanIPPAM 19
In 2021, Fahad Al-Salem was appointed the Head of Board Secretary and Corporate Governance at Arab National Bank, prior to that, he was the Deputy Board Secretary and Head of Corporate Governance at the Saudi British Bank (SABB). Before joining SABB he was working at the Capital Market Authority “CMA” for approximately 12 years, starting in 2007.


Joining the University of Southern California (USC) has plied a significant role in his life and career. Especially as an international student who has already come a long way in his family matters and career. He came to the U.S. back in 2014 with his wife and four kids, one of them was an infant at the time. He thought the journey would have been difficult. However, the team in IPPAM and how the team embraced his family, and himself had made the journey much more manageable. Not only that, but the things also he benefited from during the program had a significant role after he returned to his country and embarked his professional career. And to name a few, having the USC degree in the CV opens a lot of closed doors.



“After IPPAM, the way you execute your work will always be special and unique; not only that, but you will also start approaching issues with a different mindset. Today as Head of Board Secretary and Corporate Governance at Arab National Bank, I owe a great deal of credit to USC and the person I become.”

Fahad Al-SalemIPPAM 17
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