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Student Leaders 2024-2025
PDLI's Student Leaders are responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the organization, from on-campus events and recruitment to fundraising and Trip planning.
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Alex Greene
President
Alex is a junior at Yale University majoring in History with a concentration in the Middle East. He is passionate about foreign and defense policy, specifically in the Middle East. He serves as President of Yale Moot Court and has previously interned at the Yale Law Journal and at the American Enterprise Institute. This year, he is pursuing language study in Arabic and Hebrew.
Thalsa-Thiziri Mekaouche
Thalsa is a Junior at Yale University studying international relations. Originally from Algeria and France, she has experience in environmental peace-building (EcoPeace Middle East), biodiversity protection (Global Diversity Foundation and fieldwork in Morocco), international law (Center for International Sustainable Development Law) and the humanitarian sector (World Food Programme). She is passionate about the intersection between food systems, climate change and human rights, with a special focus on North Africa and the Middle East.
Vice President
Kaashif Ahmed
Co-Director of Recruitment
Kaashif is a senior at Yale University from Richmond, Virginia, studying Global Affairs and Arabic. He formally led the Yale International Relations Association and Yale Muslim Student Association. He worked with the United Nations Security Council and House of Representatives Select Committee on the CCP in his summers. This year he continues to work with the Yale Policy Institute's GeoTech Conference through the Defense Innovation Unit at DoD and launch his Saudi Arabia fellowship.
Ely Altman
Co-Director of Recruitment
Ely is a senior from North Carolina studying intellectual history and political theory. He has served as the President of the Yale Debate Association, and he is currently enrolled in the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy. Ely speaks Hebrew and has traveled the Middle East seeking to understand the region's politics. He believes deeply in PDLI's mission, and he is excited to support the fellowship this year.
Ariane de Gennaro
Communications Director
Ariane is a senior at Yale majoring in History. An alum of the Directed Studies program, she studies Western history and has a background in Classics, military history, and philosophy. She is an opinion columnist for the Yale Daily News, an officer for the Alexander Hamilton Society, and an intern for the Yale Law Journal. She has previously worked at The New Criterion and the Institute for the Study of War. In her free time, she is usually writing, drawing cartoons, or singing with her a cappella group, Something Extra.
Mohamed Ibrahim
Treasurer
Mohamed Ibrahim, a junior Yale student, is considering a major in data science or electrical engineering, alongside economics. His passion lies in merging public reform and STEM innovation, particularly through entrepreneurial startups addressing global challenges. He's focused on creating sustainable solutions through effective international networks and business models.
Tyler McLemore
Fundraising Director
Tyler is a junior in Pierson College majoring in History. At Yale, he is involved in the Alexander Hamilton Society and Club Squash. His academic interests include cross-Strait relations and American foreign policy, including a particular fascination with Middle East security cooperation. Outside of school, he enjoys reading biographies, running, and watching college football. After graduation, Tyler plans to attend OCS and commission as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Navy.
Samantha Tishler
Operations and Logistics Director
Samantha is a rising sophomore from Glastonbury, CT in Saybrook College at Yale, where she studies Engineering Sciences (Mechanical) and Russian. She participates in Yale's Air Force ROTC program, serves as the Chief Whip of the Independent Party, one of Yale's political philosophy organizations, and loves attending intramural soccer for Saybrook. After graduating, she hopes to commission in the Air Force as a pilot.
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