WIPP Board 2012-2013

President

HAJRA HAFEEZ UR REHMAN (hh487@cornell.edu) is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Public Administration from Cornell University. Hajra is an East West Center Fellow who served as an Asia Pacific Leadership Fellow in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2009-2010. She has five years of experience working in the international development sector with organizations addressing social, health, environment, education, entrepreneurship, and youth issues. She has an extensive grassroots experience in South East Asia with the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) of Thailand, the Institute of Tropical Biology (ITB) in Vietnam, and the United Nations. She has also worked with UNDP in mapping and analysis tied to the issues of violence against women in Pakistan, and assisted clinics at which doctors provide free medical facilities to women in Pakistan slum areas. Hajra has also served a research position at Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project where she worked with the biological and behavioral mapping of most at risk populations. Hajra holds a Bachelor’s of Science (Hons.) in economics and finance, both from Lahore School of Economics in Pakistan. She also served as a Hansen Peace Fellow at San Diego State University in 2009. Hajra is running her own youth-led organization called ‘Youth Dividend,’ where currently she is a course developer and instructor for a global e-course of ‘Youth and the Millennium Development Goals’ along with various other development initiatives.  

Communications Committee Chair

SAMANTHA PAWLAK (sp878@cornell.edu) is currently obtaining a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Public and Non-Profit Management and a focus on women’s health, gender equality and advocacy for rape and abuse victims. She has her BA in Creative Writing and Journalism with a minor in English and Literature from the State University of New York at Purchase. Four short stories written by Sam were published for her Senor Project. In 2008, Sam worked for the Legislative Gazette Newspaper in Albany and in 2009 she was the Development Assistant and Associate Editor at Archbishop Molloy High School’s Alumni Office. In her spare time she has volunteered with two political campaigns, ‘Mark Weprin’s Campaign for City Council’ and ‘Ed Braunstein’s Campaign for Assemblyman. Sam also dedicates her time to volunteering for RightRides and RAINN.  

Fundraising Committee Chair

LINLEY KIRKWOOD (lak238@cornell.edu) is pursuing a duel MPA/MBA degree with a concentration in public & nonprofit management. She has been involved with service work locally, nationally and internationally, which has taught her that poverty has fundamental causes and consequences that similarly affect people around the world. As a result this led to an interest in holistic approaches to international development, public-private partnerships and corporate responsibility, but this does not mean she is not open to the possibilities of doing this work through an NGO, a foundation, a governmental agency, a consulting organization or private enterprise. Linley was was adopted from South Korea and grew up in beautiful Seattle, WA. She went east to complete her undergraduate studies at Villanova University, where she gained a B.A. in Humanities, a concentration in peace & justice studies, and minors in business and theology. It was her undergraduate coursework that strengthened her interest in public service. In her senior year, she worked as the Community Outreach Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, PA. There she wore multiple hats and was responsible for such areas as: volunteer management, outreach, marketing, event planning, and development.  

Public Outreach Committee Chair

SARAH KIPLING (sak285@cornell.edu) is currently working towards her Masters degree in Public Administration at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs, with a concentration in Social Policy and a focus on Education. Before Cornell, Sarah worked at the Downtown Ithaca Alliance as the organization’s office assistant. In this position she had the opportunity to meet and network with many inspiring leaders in the community in the fields of business, government, and non-profit work. Sarah is a Teach For America alumna; she was part of the 2009 Chicago corps and taught fourth grade for two years. Her experiences in public and charter schools led to her current interest in the issues of school choice and teacher quality, and the time spent with her amazing and resilient students fuels her drive to change the state of American education. Sarah graduated from Oberlin College in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Hispanic Studies. She remains active in the alumni organization, serving as regional coordinator of the Ithaca alumni chapter, which she founded in 2011.  

Events Committee Chair

JAMIE FRANK (jcf275@cornell.edu) is a first year graduate student at Cornell Institute of Public Affairs where she is focusing in social policy. Before coming to Cornell, Jamie taught second grade in Charlotte, North Carolina, as an English as a Second Language Teacher with Teach for America, and previously volunteered as a teaching assistant with the Head Start program. Originally from Massachusetts, Jamie graduated with honors from the University of Rochester in 2009, with degrees in English, Psychology and Gender Studies. As an undergraduate, Jamie was an executive officer in several different women’s organizations, such as Women’s Caucus, Alpha Phi International Fraternity, and Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood. She recently returned from Kosovo, where she was consulting for an International NGO. Jamie has extensive community service and event management experience, as well as experience with research and writing. In the future, Jamie hopes to work in the domestic policy sphere, advocating and researching the best policies that support women, children and families.      

Professional Development Committee Chair

Maria Yang my354@cornell.edu