Co-Chairs of the USAWC

Paula J. Dobriansky is the Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, responsible for a broad range of foreign policy issues, including democracy, human rights, labor, counter-narcotics and law enforcement, refugee and humanitarian relief matters and environmental/scientific issues. She directs the U.S. government's efforts to promote women's empowerment across the globe and has been particularly engaged in developing policies and programs to benefit the women of Afghanistan. Prior to her appointment as Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs in May 2001, Dr. Dobriansky served as Senior Vice President and Director of the Washington Office of the Council on Foreign Relations. Previously, Dr. Dobriansky served as Senior International Affairs and Trade Advisor at the law firm of Hunton & Williams, and as Co-Chair of the International TV Council at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Dr. Dobriansky received a B.S.F.S. summa cum laude in International Politics from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Soviet political/military affairs from Harvard University. She has lectured and published articles, book chapters and op-ed pieces on foreign affairs-related topics, ranging from U.S. human rights policy to East European foreign and defense policies, public diplomacy, democracy promotion strategies, Russia and Ukraine.

Dr. Hussn Banu Ghazanfar was appointed Minister of Women's Affairs for Afghanistan in August 2006. She is actively engaged in securing legal rights and economic opportunities for women. From 2002 until her appointment as Minister, she was Dean of the Language and Literature Faculty at Kabul University. She obtained Bachelor's and Master's degrees in literature in 1987 in Northern Qafqaz (Azerbaijan/Russia) and a doctorate in philology from St. Petersburg University. She is a member of the High Shura (Council) of Higher Education and Deputy for the Afghanistan Universities Forums.

Dr.  Rangin Dadfar Spanta was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs for Afghanistan in May 2006. The Minister was born and raised in Herat Province. He left for Tureky to advance his studies in 1976. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Dr. Spanta traveled to Iran, joining Afghanistan's resistance movement and becoming involved in the publication "Sada-ye Afghanistan" (Voice of Afghanistan). From Iran, he traveled to Pakistan, continuing his resistance activities there. Dr. Spanta moved to West Germany in 1982 and became a professor at Aachen University. In January 2005, Dr. Spanta returned to teach at Kabul University, and later became Senior Advisor on International Affairs to President Hamid Karzai.