Maysam Ali

Maysam Ali is Assistant Director of the Stevens Initiative, an international effort aimed at bringing young people together through virtual exchange to learn about the world and about each other. She was previously Deputy Director of Middle East Programs, where she managed the Levant Program, a policy program focusing on the economic, political, and social issues facing Syria, Lebanon, and the region, including the Syria conflict and its regional impact, transnational militant groups, as well as human rights and domestic political reform.

Maysam also led Partners for a New Beginning (PNB) and PNB’s North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity (PNB-NAPEO), a public-private partnership aiming to advance economic opportunity in the Middle East and North Africa. In this role, Maysam supported partnerships between business and civil society leaders in the Middle East and North Africa, with a special focus on partnerships enhancing entrepreneurship and education.

Prior to that, Maysam worked as a reporter in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and Beirut, Lebanon. Maysam was named a 2016 Asia 21 Fellow by Asia Society, offered to young leaders with outstanding achievement, commitment to public service, and a proven ability to make the world a better place. Maysam was a Sunrise Fellow at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the Johns Hopkins University, where she completed a Masters in International Economics and Middle East Studies.