Bakhtawer Abbasi

Bakhtawer Abbasi is a Senior Program Associate for the Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF) and Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN) programs at the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions. She provides programmatic and communications support for the programs and is committed to activities that build positive team and organizational culture.

Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, she worked as a Youth Trainer in Pakistan, leading trainings on conflict resolution, critical thinking skills and inclusion. She has also worked at Brandeis University to coordinate community development and youth engagement programs in the Greater Boston Area and most recently worked at the International Center for Religion & Diplomacy here in Washington, D.C. Bakhtawer was also selected to represent the Aspen Institute US at the Aspen Young Leaders Seminar in Czech Republic in 2021.

Bakhtawer earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Marketing from SZABIST University in Karachi, Pakistan, and a Master’s in Conflict Resolution & Coexistence from Brandeis University. She is also an alumna of National University of Singapore’s Enterprise Program. Her professional and personal intersectional experiences in Pakistan and the United States, spark her passion and interest of working with diverse communities for community building, social cohesion, and social justice causes.