The people who set the Institute's direction.
An Executive Committee of three acts on strategic decisions by unanimous consent, accountable to the Board of Directors and supported by an advisory Board of senior former officials and private sector leaders.
Three seats, one shared decision
- Outstanding Leadership Award, CXO 2.0
- $100M · Client companies served
- Capitol Hill Engagement
- Logistics and Trade
- U.S.–Pakistan Relations
Building bridges between American and Pakistani enterprise
Syed Saleem is the Founding Chairman of the Institute. An entrepreneur and business development leader based in the Washington, D.C. region, he has built a career across logistics, technology, and international trade, guided by one goal: deeper economic ties and stronger connections between people in the United States and Pakistan.
Mr. Saleem has founded and led two U.S. companies. His Maryland logistics company operates three warehouses and can fulfill more than 500,000 orders a month. His second company uses technology to help Pakistani entrepreneurs grow and reach new markets.
He led business development for a trade forum between the United States and Pakistan, partnering with chamber of commerce leaders to build trade links between Georgia, Maryland, and Pakistan. On Capitol Hill, he took part in the U.S. Pakistan Symposium hosted by Representatives Tom Suozzi and Jack Bergman, who lead the Congressional Pakistan Caucus as its chairs. He has discussed trade and ties between people with Senator Chris Van Hollen, joined a delegation on cooperation between Georgia and Pakistan with Senator Jon Ossoff, and explored economic and diplomatic opportunities with Maryland Governor Wes Moore.
Mr. Saleem is currently working closely with a federally chartered university in Pakistan and one of the leading information technology schools in the United States to bring AI and technology education to Pakistan. He also advises Zypher Electric Vehicles, an electric vehicle startup in Peshawar, on business development, and he supported an ICT and ecommerce initiative that taught digital skills to young women in Karachi.
An engineer by training, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Industrial Management from Politecnico di Torino in Italy on an EDISU Piemonte scholarship, and he is now pursuing an MBA in the United States. In 2024, he received the Outstanding Leadership Award at the CXO 2.0 Conference in Las Vegas.
As Founding Chairman, Mr. Saleem is building a Washington institution that is independent, rigorous, and focused on results. The Institute will bring together policymakers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and the Pakistani American community to advance informed dialogue, lasting economic partnerships, and the development of future leaders in relations between the United States and Pakistan.
- U.S. Department of Defense
- CDC
- Johns Hopkins
- NATO recognition
- Pride of Pakistan
A physician and scientist building Washington's Pakistan desk
Dr. Rashid A. Chotani is a physician and scientist, global health strategist, and institutional leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing public health, health security, academic medicine, pandemic preparedness, and international health cooperation. He has built and led major scientific and operational programs spanning government, academia, national security, global health, emerging technologies, and infectious disease response.
His career includes leadership roles with the U.S. Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University, and other leading academic and public sector institutions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served in a major U.S. national response effort, providing scientific, strategic, and operational leadership across a large national program involving approximately 4,500 personnel and 88 sites, with more than $700 million in operations. His work brought together public health, infectious disease surveillance, risk assessment, scientific evidence, operational execution, and institutional coordination during one of the most consequential public health emergencies in modern U.S. history.
He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, George Washington University, and the Uniformed Services University, and as a Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He has authored more than 90 scientific publications, two books, and multiple patents.
His contributions to international health, security, pandemic response, and public service have been recognized through national and international honors, including recognition from NATO and Pakistan’s “Pride of Pakistan” Award for service to Pakistan and its diaspora. These honors reflect a career dedicated to strengthening institutions, advancing scientific cooperation, responding to global health threats, and serving communities across borders.
As President and CEO, Dr. Chotani brings this experience to building an institution that connects policy, leadership, science, public health, and engagement between people. It is a credible platform in Washington for strengthening relations between the United States and Pakistan and developing the next generation of leaders committed to a stronger and more constructive bilateral partnership.
His founding vision is to establish an independent, intellectually rigorous institution focused on action, one that brings together policymakers, scholars, business leaders, health and security experts, pandemic and preparedness specialists, and the Pakistani American community to advance informed dialogue, meaningful partnerships, and lasting engagement between the United States and Pakistan.
- Georgia General Assembly
- Obama Administration
- Harvard Law
- MS Global Partners
- Georgia and Sindh partnership
A legislator and strategist connecting policy, business and diplomacy
Farooq Mughal is a government affairs advisor, political strategist, and institutional leader with over two decades of experience across business, diplomacy, public policy, and diaspora engagement. A former Georgia State Representative and the first elected member of the Georgia General Assembly of Pakistani origin, he also served as White House Council under the Obama administration, overseeing public policy. A Harvard Law educated negotiator and arbitrator, and Founder and Managing Partner of MS Global Partners, he has advised senior leaders on trade, legislation, and strategic investment.
In the Georgia legislature, he cosponsored eight landmark bills signed into law, advancing economic growth, criminal justice, healthcare, veterans’ services, public safety, and local tax relief. His bipartisan work earned recognition from the White House, U.S. Congress, Georgia governors, and foreign diplomats. Through his engagement with the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce (RCCI), he helped lead trade delegations to Pakistan and supported a landmark resolution to establish a sister state relationship between Georgia and Sindh, creating a blueprint for cooperation between the United States and Pakistan at the state level.
His advisory and business impact includes representing over $950 million in public and private economic development projects and advising U.S. Congressmen, Governors, Mayors, and international leaders. He holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Mercer University and is a licensed arbitrator and mediator with the Georgia Supreme Court. He has been recognized among Atlanta Magazine’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders (2021 to 2025), the 100 Most Influential Muslim Americans in Georgia, and the 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia.
As Chief Strategist and Co-Founder, Mr. Mughal is building an institution that connects policy, business, diplomacy, and engagement between people. It is a credible platform in Washington to strengthen relations between the United States and Pakistan and develop the next generation of leaders.
His founding vision is an independent, strategically rigorous institution focused on action, uniting policymakers, business leaders, trade experts, diaspora leaders, and the Pakistani American community to advance informed dialogue, economic partnerships, and lasting engagement between the United States and Pakistan.
Leading the three research programs
To be announced
Security & Strategic AffairsLeads work on defense cooperation, counterterrorism and regional strategy.
To be announced
Trade, Investment & Economic CorridorsLeads work on tariffs, logistics corridors and supply chains.
To be announced
Congress, Diaspora & Public DiplomacyLeads engagement with Congress, the diaspora and the media.
Fiduciary oversight
The Board holds ultimate authority over the Institute and delegates daily decisions to the Executive Committee.
- To be announcedChair of the Board
- To be announcedDirector, Finance and Audit
- To be announcedDirector, Research Oversight
Counsel and access
Senior former officials and private sector leaders who advise the Institute. The Board of Advisors is advisory only and holds no governance authority.
- To be announcedFormer Senior State Department Official
- To be announcedFormer Congressional Staff Director
- To be announcedPrivate Sector Executive, Energy & Logistics
Interested in joining us?
We are building the founding team and Board of Advisors now.