Sumaiya Islam

Sumaiya Islam

Program Manager at Open Society Foundation

Sumaiya guides the work of Open Society Justice Initiative in Asia in strengthening access to justice services for vulnerable people. Her work focuses on the development of legal empowerment and access to justice policy frameworks and projects. Sumaiya started as a community organizer in Los Angeles in 2005, focusing on civil rights issues and organizing communities around tenants and immigrant rights. Her work experience includes managing and developing legal empowerment projects in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sierra Leone and Pakistan. She served as a Community Scholar at University of California Los Angeles. She has an MA degree in Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies from Kings College London and a BA in Economics and Chemistry (Law Track) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include ethno-religious conflict, post-colonial democracies, and political economy of international development.