MEET OUR TEAM
Poligon's team consists of highly motivated leaders passionate about amplifying American Muslim and ally voices in Congress and educating the community about the policy making process.
WARDAH KHALID
FOUNDER & BOARD PRESIDENT |
Wardah Khalid is a policy analyst, activist, and speaker on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, immigration/refugees, and Islam in America. She currently works on Capitol Hill and has significant experience advising members of Congress, White House staff, and the State Department on Middle East conflicts. Her firsthand knowledge of working at a faith based lobby in D.C. and observation of a lack of Muslim representation at policy meetings inspired her to establish Poligon.
Wardah's writing and commentary has been featured in outlets including numerous national outlets, and she regularly speaks at conferences, on television, and radio about foreign affairs, civic and political engagement, and Islam. Wardah was a founding member and public relations head of the "I Am Your Protector" campaign, previously a board member of the DC chapter of Muslim Urban Professionals, and is also an American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute Fellow at the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture. Wardah is a CPA and holds a MA in International Affairs from Columbia University and a BBA and MS in Accounting from Texas A&M University. |
NADIA MOZAFFAR
TREASURER |
Nadia Mozaffar is an attorney with policy expertise in the juvenile justice, child welfare, and higher education fields. Nadia currently works at the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, PA where her work focuses on advancing educational rights and opportunities for children in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, reducing transfers of youth to the adult criminal justice system, and economic justice issues.
Previously, Nadia was an attorney in Washington, DC advising clients in the higher education industry on a wide variety of federal, state, and accreditation agency regulatory matters along with assisting with the creation of federal education policy. Nadia is also experienced in advising non-profit organizations on obtaining and maintaining 501(c)(3) status and has represented many indigent clients in housing, immigration, and asylum cases. Nadia also has served as president of the DC chapter of Muslim Urban Professionals, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering and advancing Muslim professionals to be leaders in their careers and communities. Nadia holds her JD from Vanderbilt University Law School and her BA in History and Communication from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. |
AKSA ASGHER
MEDIA DIRECTOR |
Aksa Asgher has worked in various industries in the world of marketing. From agency life in New York City to assisting with NGOs and start-ups, Aksa is passionate about bringing brand awareness to light through strategic tactics and using the latest marketing trends. During her MBA, Aksa was a member of the La Salle Women in MBA as the Vice President of Event Planning. Aksa was also a Grad Representative of the La Salle University Curriculum Committee and a committee member of Collegiate Relations for the American Marketing Association - Philadelphia Chapter.
Aksa holds a BS from Rochester Institute of Technology in New Media Marketing with a minor in Public Relations and Advertising and received an MBA from La Salle University specializing in Marketing. |
FARAN SIKANDAR
BOARD MEMBER |
Faran Sikandar is a data scientist and product strategist in tech and public policy. He has worked with public and private organizations in the US, South Asia, and East Africa, advising them in economic analysis and experimentation in areas including financial services, health and human services, agriculture, energy and infrastructure, public safety, labor markets, and more. Faran has also worked as a community organizer in electoral politics and education policy. He is passionate about language, diasporas, and leveraging people and technology together to reimagine how we participate in the economy and civil society.
He was previously a San Francisco City Hall Fellow and Insight Artificial Intelligence Fellow. He is an alumnus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology D-Lab/IDDS, where he co-founded Rah-e-Maa, an organization which creates technology products to reduce maternal mortality in Pakistan. Faran holds a Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) from Harvard University. He holds a BS in Business Administration and a BA in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley. |
MUZNA ANSARI
BOARD MEMBER |
Muzna Ansari is a social justice advocate and policy expert with over a decade of diverse experience in the non- profit, public, and philanthropic sectors. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the New York Immigration Coalition, where she led cross-departmental strategy and ensured cohesion on key organizational projects. This included the organization's successful statewide campaign to expand drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. She previously worked on immigration and civil rights for the New York City Council and on voting rights for the Open Society Foundations.
Muzna holds a MPA in Policy from NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a BA in Economics and Human Rights from Barnard College. She recently moved to the Washington DC metro area, after being a lifelong New Yorker. |
REBECCA HANKINS
COLUMNIST |
Rebecca Hankins writes for Poligon’s online publication, Historical Action, which discusses how Muslims have historically been politically involved in the U.S. Rebecca is an Associate Professor and a certified archivist/librarian. She received her graduate degree from Louisiana State University in 2000. She has been at Texas A&M University since 2003, receiving tenure in 2010. Rebecca was recently appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. She was elected to the prestigious Society of American Archivists’ as a Distinguished Fellow in 2016 and holds the Wendler Endowed Professorship at Texas A&M University.
Her previous employment included 12 years as senior archivist at The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, the premier research institution on Africana historical documentation. She teaches courses on the use of primary sources in research and research methodology. She has presented at numerous conference venues and published in science fiction, library, archival, and other peer-reviewed journals. Rebecca’s expertise includes building collections and scholarly resources for the study of the African Diaspora, Women & Gender Studies, Race & Ethnic Studies, and Arabic Language. Her latest publication is a book co-authored with Ph.D. candidate Miguel Juarez titled “Where are All the Librarians of Color: The Experiences of People of Color in Academia” by Library Juice Press, 2016. |
SALLY ELNAGGAR
ADVISOR |
Sally Elnaggar is the Vice President, Finance and Chief Operating Officer at the Women’s Heart Alliance (WHA). Sally is a finance professional with over 15 years of experience in both for profit and not for profit operations, strategic planning, financial reporting and analysis.
Prior to joining WHA, Sally was Director, International Operations at Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Before serving in this role during her tenure with Komen, Sally served as the Manager, Financial Reporting and Analysis for 5 years with Komen responsible for Komen’s International Headquarters and 122 affiliates financial information. Sally earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Texas at Arlington. She continued on to pursue an advanced Master of Business Administration degree in International Business with a concentration in Finance. Sally Elnaggar is the Vice President, Finance and Chief Operating Officer at the Women’s Heart Alliance (WHA). Sally is a finance professional with over 15 years of experience in both for profit and not for profit operations, strategic planning, financial reporting and analysis. |
ZAYN HASAN
LEGISLATIVE FELLOW |
Zayn Hasan is the current Legislative Fellow for Poligon. Zayn prepares weekly legislative update and sends out Hill Happenings, which highlights important legislation and issues of interest from Capitol Hill. She prepares educational guides on Congressional advocacy, policy briefs, and action alerts. She attends and engages in weekly coalition meetings and policy and advocacy events.
Prior to joining Poligon, Zayn was previously a Federal Content Manager at Leadership Connect and worked as an Assistant Canvass Director at WETA. She previously worked at the Vermont Attorney General's Office as a Legislative Intern and Consumer Advisor. Zayn recieved her B.S. in Public Communications from the University of Vermont. |
SAMAH SHAIQ MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN |
Samah Shaiq is the current Marketing and Social Media Intern for Poligon. Samah manages and monitors Poligon's social media, assists with our press releases, and creates graphic content to promote Poligon's events and announcements.
Samah currently works for American Bridge 21st Century as the tracking coordinator, helping progressive candidates get elected for congressional and gubernatorial offices across the nation. Prior to joining Poligon, she worked for the Tom Steyer presidential campaign in California. Samah also has experience interning for various legislative offices, including Senator Dianne Feinstein and Governor Jerry Brown. Samah graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with an emphasis on American Government and International Relations. |
