Board of Governers

BENJAMIN LOZARE (PhD), is the Associate Director and Chief of the Training and Performance Improvement Division at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs. Dr. Lozare has more than 25 years of experience in research, teaching, and practice in international and development communication. He has served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the Health Sciences Campus of the University of the Philippines, as the first Director-General of the Philippine Information Agency, and as Deputy Secretary-General of the Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Center Foundation. He has consulted with UN agencies such as the World Health Organization, the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East, and the UNFPA. Dr. Lozare obtained his PhD in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin. He was an Eisenhower Fellow and recipient of the first Newsweek International Communication Grant. Dr. Lozare speaks English and Tagalog.

BASIL SAFI has nearly 15 years of international and domestic experience designing and implementing public health and integrated communication programs. He combines technical skills with those gained in the field of health communication to specialize in the areas of demand generation, consumer-driven improvement of healthcare services, household behavior change and improving the efficiency of public health systems. His areas of communication expertise include strategic communication design, mass media and community mobilization planning, crisis/risk communication, advocacy, harmonization of diverse working groups, ICT implementation, developing public-private alliances and local Behavior Change Communication capacity building. Mr. Safi is currently leading 'Engaged Cornel' initiative of the Cornel University as the Executive Director and tasked with with promoting innovation in community-engaged and real-world learning, and making those practices the hallmark of the Cornell undergraduate experience. Before joining Cornel, he was responsible for managing all of CCP's Asia programs, in addition to serving as the Director of the Global Program on Avian and Pandemic Influenza. Mr. Safi is a registered Professional Engineer, serves as an Associate in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and is a Environmental Public Health Leadership Fellow at the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health. He has experience working in Azerbaijan, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Egypt, Jordan, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Pakistan, Panama, Tajikistan, South Sudan, and the United States.

SHOAIB MANSOOR is among the most influential and famous figures in the Pakistan showbiz. He has written, produced and directed hit TV shows such as Ankahi, Fifty Fifty, Alpha Bravo Charlie, Sunehre Din and Gulls & Guys, all aired on PTV (The National Television Channel of Pakistan). Mansoor directed the Supreme Ishq series of songs. Shoaib Mansoor has also been a successful songwriter and music composer. He introduced the 80's Pakistani pop sensation Vital Signsto the mainstream. In 2007, Shoaib Mansoor debuted as a film director with his critically acclaimed film, titled Khuda Ke Liyereleased on 20 July 2007 all over Pakistan. In 2009, he began directing a big budget film Bol, released on 24 June 2011 breaking all previously held box office records. This film was produced in collaboration with PAIMAN project in which Center for Communication Programs was part of the consortium of the developmental organisations. In recognition of his outstanding services, Mansoor has been decorated with presidential award of Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz by Government of Pakistan. He has also been awarded PTV Life Time Achievement Award by President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf on the 43rd anniversary of Pakistan Television in November 2007. Recently he received the Silver Pyramid Award from the Cairo International Film Festival for Khuda Ke Liye.

TAHIR ABBAS has rich experience of working with diverse group of people especially religious leaders, journalists and social activists at the grassroots level. His areas of expertise include networking with community leaders, communication, project designing and management and monitoring and evaluation. At Center, he manages its network of religious leaders, journalists, screen and script writers for the DFID- funded Empowerment, Voice and Accountability Project. He has a master degree in International Relations from Quaid e Azam University Islamabad. He is fluent in English, Urdu and Punjabi languages.

MOHAMMAD RAFIQ has worked as a graphic designer for more than twenty years. His expertise in graphic design, website design & outdoor advertising. He is managing and creating different graphic design such as brochures, reports, posters, logos, magazines, presentations, banners, and publicity materials etc. He also worked at Sunrise Digital, TheNetwork for Consumer Protection, Manhattan Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd. and Adage Advertising.

EHTESHAM ABBAS has a rich experience in Social and Behavior Change Communication, Advocacy, Capacity Strengthening, Knowledge Management, Institutional Development, with a systematic, in-depth understanding of development, government, and private sectors alike. He has 17 years of experience in leading large projects on a wide range of issues involving multilateral institutions. He has diverse experience in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of large-scale development projects with a strong stakeholder engagement and strategic communications focus. He is especially known for creating opportunities & platforms for leading large-scale campaigns requiring a transmedia approach for narrative deployment across multiple mediums. At Center, he provides technical and managerial support for multiple projects as the Director of Programs and Operations. Previously, during specialized roles, he technically led multiple projects including the IFES Funded Women Voter Education Project, USAID Funded Health Communication Component, the GIZ Funded Labour Standards Program and the Support to Local Government (Logo), the DFID Funded Empowerment, Voice and Accountability Project as well as the UNDP Funded APNA PAKISTAN Project. Previously he was working for the leading communication and advertising companies as well as a communication consultant with various strategic departments of the Government. He has an MBA in Marketing and a Bachelors in Business Management. He is also an Alumni of the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Program’s “Leadership in Strategic Health Communications” Workshop.

FAYYAZ AHMAD KHAN is a long-time communication professional with over 20 years of strong communication experience. He excels at designing and implementing leadership, behavior change, advocacy and community mobilization strategies with a range of public and private sector partners, developing strategically targeted multi-media entertainment-education programs and leading capacity-building activities in media and communication. Mr. Khan has worked with Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Communication Programs since 2001, progressing from a consultant to his most recent position as Country Representative. He is currently serving as Chief of Party for a major communications project in Malawi for the Johns Hopkins University's Center for Communication Programs. Mr. Khan has pioneered the annual Leadership and Communication Program in Pakistan and has been serving as its co-director since 2001. Besides, he is among selected master trainers who had initiated a self-awareness and motivation leadership program in Pakistan. He has a degree in media and communication from the University of London.

SHAHZAD AKBAR BAJWA is procurement and logistics specialist based in Abuja, Nigeria where he has been working with John Snow Inc. since 2011. Before moving to Abuja, Nigeria, Mr. Bajwa was working as Deputy Director Administration and Logistics on a USAID-funded Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns, also with John Snow Inc.

FATIMA SHAHRYAR is an aspiring professional who after graduation in 2009 had excelled in leaps and bounds. She started her career with a USAID-funded project Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns as Program Officer for social and behavior change communication. Her experience includes working with various national and international organizations including JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc., Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (JHUCCP), Research, Advocacy and Health Strengthening Alliance, White Ribbon Alliance-Pakistan, and Save the Children. Progressing in the same field, she is now working as Communication Specialist with Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs on a Health Communication Component of USAID-funded Mother and Child Health Program. Ms. Shahryar has established extensive network with government counterparts; public health activists; communication experts; and various key figures working in the field of health. Ms. Shahryar has experience of successfully working on various publications; mass media products; and organizing policy forums and meetings.

IHATSHAM AKRAM brings nearly 15 years of experience in the field of public health and development in Pakistan and has worked with leading organizations, including National Maternal and Newborn and Child Health Programme and Lady Health Workers Programme at the provincial and federal levels of Government of Pakistan, National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) and Save the Children playing a critical role in scaling up of maternal, newborn and child health interventions through evidence generation, communication and policy advocacy. He had been team leader for rural health initiatives of NRSP, lead the process of development of a consensus based National MNCH Communication Strategy Framework for Pakistan and its scaling up, formation of Advocacy and Advisory Network for Newborns, launch of Every One Campaign under patronage of the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, inclusion of newborn best practices in the package endorsed by government through Karachi declaration. Lately, after joining MNH-Research and Advocacy Fund (RAF) as Policy and Advocacy Specialist he has steered the identification, funding and providing oversight to projects that have and are leading to important policy and practices changes such as inclusion of Misoprostol and Magnesium Sulphate in Essential Drug Lists and endorsements and notification of the protocols, provincial adoption International Code of Marketing for Breast Milk Substitutes, inclusion of Minimum Essential Services Package for women and children reproductive health needs in disaster management plans, resolutions on the floor of provincial assemblies for including Sexual and Reproductive Health into health policies etc. Ihatsham is also member of several important networks such as Advocacy and Advisory Network for Newborns, White Ribbon Alliance Pakistan, Population Association of Pakistan (PAP), Pakistan Reproductive Health Network, Sexual and Reproductive Health Alliance, National Academic and Advocacy Alliance Pakistan, Partners Development Group for Nutrition besides being member of MNCH related technical working groups at provincial levels.

SANAULLAH QUADRI is a young professional with nearly five years of experience in multidimensional organizations including the banking sector, with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as with the nonprofit sector in public health domain. He has a master degree in Business Administration with a finance major. His areas of expertise are general administration, logistics and procurement. Currently, Sanaullah provides administrative support to Center, including donor compliance and vigilance in inventory management and procurement.

SAMUEL SAMI has done his I.COM from Commerce College Islamabad. He has been serving Center since 2011. He has nearly eleven years of progressive experience. Before joining Center, Sami was working with Christian World Service where he served as an Admin Assistant for five years. Being there, he volunteered during the 2005 earthquake in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At Center, Sami provides assistance to the administration and finance departments.

MOHAMMAD SHAHJAHAN is the founder Director and CEO of Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP). He has more than 26 years experience in strategic communication program planning, designing, development, implementation and coordination. He has extensive experience in communication strategy formulation, development of training curriculum, support materials and implementation of training programs with measurable objectives for multi-disciplinary target audiences to transfer BCC skills to the professional staff of NGOs, government departments and private sector agencies utilizing various group motivation methodologies/ concepts including Visualization in Participatory Programs (VIPP), Future Search Conference (FSC) and Life Skills. He has been pioneering BCCP to be a self-sustaining and one-stop communication service organization since it took over from the Bangladesh country office of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) in 1996. He is a Member of the National Population Council headed by the Prime Minister, and an active member of the National IEC Technical Committee of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and continuing to contribute to the national IEC/BCC activities in order to effectively respond to the identified needs of the national Family Planning and Reproductive Health programs.

SHANA YANSEN brings 20 years of professional experience in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the US in strategic communication, international development and public health. Currently working for the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI), Ms. Yansen is responsible for designing and implementing HGHI’s global health security and pandemic preparedness programs, including the recently launched Global Monitoring of Disease Outbreak Preparedness project. Prior to HGHI, Shana worked for 8 years at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs managing public health programs across South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan). Along with Basil Safi, Ms. Yansen co-directed the center’s Avian and Pandemic Influenza Program. While at CCP, Ms. Yansen worked closely with current members of the Center for Communication Programs Pakistan and contributed to early health communication projects including a youth development program, the TV serial Kaisey Kahoon, a newlywed counseling program, mass and local media campaigns, and the maternal and child health project, PAIMAN. Ms. Yansen obtained her Masters in Health Science from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a Certificate in Health Communication. She earned a BA with Honors from Stanford University in the Social Sciences and served in the US Peace Corps in Honduras as a maternal and child health specialist. Eight years ago, Ms. Yansen founded a company offering high quality, eco-conscious products with a goal to empower women in developing countries through income-generating opportunities.

BILAL ALAM is a senior management professional with experience in Human Resources, Administration and Office Management. His previous assignments include managing and running multimillion projects at national and international levels funded by USAID, EU and DFID and has worked with JSI, Aga Khan Foundation, IFES and CIDA.

KHALID MAHMOOD is a development management and governance professional with more than 20 years of experience in large-scale development, governance and research programmes while working for government, donor, multilateral, bilateral, non-government and corporate entities. He has a strong background in programme development, management, leadership and successful delivery of quality results from concept to implementation as an outstanding performer. Together with the programme management and governance expertise, Mr. Mahmood has also conducted a number of primary and secondary research studies. He brings-in excellent communication talents with proven track record of building, retaining and leading highly efficient teams while conveying complex concepts in simply understandable manner through mentoring and coaching. Mr. Mahmood is currently serving as Senior Head of Office for a USAID-funded Pakistan Reading Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.