Launched in 2008, the CAMCA Fellowship is a joint program of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at the American Foreign Policy Council and the Rumsfeld Foundation. The program brings exceptional rising leaders from Central Asia, Mongolia, the Caucasus and Afghanistan (CAMCA) to the United States for a high-level, intensive exchange experience designed to forge enduring personal and professional connections. The Fellowship aims to develop intraregional cooperation among the program countries and foster stronger relations between the U.S. and the CAMCA region, serving as a starting point for continued dialogue and collaboration among the innovative regional leaders of the program’s alumni network.
As participants of the 31st Fellowship session, the Fall 2025 group will join the program’s growing alumni network of over 300 former Fellows.
Throughout their five-week program, Fellows will attend a series of private high-level meetings with top policymakers, business leaders, journalists, academics, military personnel and regional experts, exposing them to inside perspectives on opinion-making, decision-making and policy-making processes in the United States. For insights into local economic development and good governance, the group will also spend a week traveling to Burlington, Vermont; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Boston, Massachusetts. Beyond group sessions, program staff will assist Fellows in arranging individual meetings relevant to their specific interests and provide opportunities for professional development and networking.
The Fall 2025 Fellows consist of a diverse group of talented regional leaders, pictured left to right below. Find their full bios here: Fall 2025 CAMCA Fellows.
Ms. Maryam Rayed – Afghanistan – Founding Director of the Afghanistan Women’s Think Tank
Mr. Yuri Avagyan – Armenia – Executive Director of the Restart Civic-Youth Foundation
Mr. Javadkhan Babayev – Azerbaijan – Co-Founder and Strategy Director of Avian Group Co., a fast-growing customer relations and advisory firm
Mr. Rza Aliyev – Azerbaijan – Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre
Mr. Davit Dadiani – Georgia – Manager of International Relations and International Programs at the Training Center of Justice (TCJ) under the Ministry of Justice of Georgia
Mr. Shamil Akhmedov – Kazakhstan – Serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Introdex AI, a B2B go-to-market platform that connects companies across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East–North Africa regions
Mr. Chingiz Batyrbekov – Kyrgyz Republic – Cultural entrepreneur, festival director, and innovator in the Kyrgyz Republic’s creative sector
Mr. Gantushig Gankhuyag – Mongolia – CEO and Co-Founder of Teach for Mongolia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing educational inequity in rural communities by cultivating the next generation of local leaders
Ms. Sofiya Yuvshanova – Turkmenistan – Regional Evaluation Specialist at UNICEF’s Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO)
Ms. Diana Bayzakova – Uzbekistan – Director of the Tashkent International Arbitration Centre (TIAC), an institution providing cutting-edge dispute resolution and arbitration services across the CIS countries and Asia
To learn more about the CAMCA Fellowship Program please visit our CAMCA Fellowship page.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Sarah C. Tonucci
Executive Director, Rumsfeld Foundation
1100 17th Street NW, #402
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: (202) 944-1304
E-mail: sarah@rumsfeldfoundation.org
David Soumbadze
Director, CAMCA Fellowship Program
509 C Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
Tel: (301) 257-5753
E-mail: soumbadze@afpc.org