Nermin Ahmad
Nermin sees her life as a springboard back from collateral damage. For generations, her family has found itself in some of the world's most consequential places at its most uncertain moments: from the Russian revolution, through two World Wars, to the creation of India and Pakistan, the division of East and West Germany, and the emergence of Bangladesh from East Pakistan. Her own experiences included two wars, house arrest, and the loss of her mother during a coup d'etat. From these she learned how profoundly our lives can be shaped by the decisions and actions of others. Through her husband, an investigative journalist she learned how often those actions began with misperception, partial truths, or facts deliberately shaped to serve a purpose. Since the 1950s he had analyzed politics, cults, gangs, revolutionaries, and individuals seeking change, often taking the more difficult position: that what was being said was not necessarily accurate, but was being used to provoke, persuade, or inflame.
For more than 20 years, before the internet made information instantly available, Nermin worked alongside him - checking and double-checking statements, searching for the facts beneath accepted truths, setting aside personal spin and opinion, and asking where fact ended and intent began. When the internet made searches easier, his frustration grew. So much information was suddenly available, yet much of it had little basis in historical accuracy, or, sometimes, in reality at all. He could not even correct his own birthplace, education, or marital history on the Wikipedia entry a stranger had created about him. The more information became available, the more elusive reality sometimes seemed to become.
Alethos is therefore more than a passion for Alex and Nermin, Young people now live amid a relentless stream of conflict, outrage, hostility, and often deeply negative portrayals of the world ahead. Sensationalism and bias will always exist. Alethos cannot remove them. But it can help ensure that the facts still have a chance to shine through.
RELEVENT EXPERIENCE
Core profiles
LinkedIn — "Achieving change: If we don't, who will?"
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nerminahmad/
Full professional history across CSRspace, Harvard, the American Symphony Orchestra, dell'Arte Opera, BPW, and a 35-year environmental and resilience career.
BPW International — official UN Representative biography
https://www.bpw-international.org/unrep-nermin-ahmad-usa/
Records work as a direct consultant to UNIDO, UNESCO, UN-Habitat, UNDP, UNEP, the World Bank and the IFC, plus national, state, county and local governments and major corporations, across project leadership in environmental development and planning, hazardous material management, military base closure, sustainable development, community resiliency and adaptation planning, and disaster preparedness, response and rebuilding. Also the cleanest single source for education: A.B. Harvard University, M.Sc. London School of Economics, visiting student at l'Institut des Sciences Politiques, Diploma in Human Rights Studies from the René Cassin Institute, and Stakeholder Engagement from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. unun
Girl Power Talk — "Living Without Borders: Leadership, Legacy, and Liberation"
https://girlpowertalk.com/people-we-admire/living-without-borders-leadership-legacy-and-liberation/
The fullest published long-form interview. Covers the NFBPWC-NYC presidency, the NFBPWC Executive Committee secretaryship, leadership of the Women on the Move Program, the IFBPW UN representative role across 115 countries, election as Treasurer of the Civil Society Committee on Migration and head of the Subcommittee on Xenophobia, Racism and Social Inclusion, work on behalf of trafficked persons, and leadership of the Harvard Alumni Disaster Preparedness and Response Team.
United Nations and migration policy
NGO Committee on Migration — Executive Committee
https://ngo-migration.org/about/executive-committee/
Listed as Treasurer, representing the International Federation of Business and Professional Women, alongside Chair Cecilie Kern (Mercy International Association), Vice Chair Kati Garrison (Loretto Community), and Secretary Liana Almony (UNANIMA International). LinkedIn
CoNGO — NGO Committees in New York directory
https://ngocongo.org/ngo-committees-in-new-york/
Independent confirmation of the Treasurer role through the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. The Committee serves as an umbrella organization for more than fifty-five NGOs and was formed following NGO contributions to the preparations for the 2006 High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development. NFBPWC-NYC
NFBPWC-NYC — Our Relationship With the UN
https://nfbpwc-nyc.org/our-relationship-with-the-un/
Listed among the NFBPWC-NYC members accredited as UN representatives to ECOSOC. un
NFBPWC-NYC — Executive Committee
https://nfbpwc-nyc.org/nfbpwc-nyc/
President of NFBPWC-NYC, described as a UN representative focused on sustainable development and on migration and xenophobia, with a career in resilience planning and community development spanning the United States, Africa, Europe and Asia. NFBPWC-NYC
BPW International UN Report — participation in the 24 June 2025 CoNGO Summit and related UN activity.
BPW International General Assembly Report, 2018–2020 — records work with the UN Committee on Migration and the Sustainable Development Committee.
Commission on the Status of Women
CSW68 — BPW International Parallel Events, March 10 to 22, 2024
https://www.bpw-international.org/un/un-events/csw68-parallel-events/
Listed as a panelist under the title NFBPWC-NYC President and Women on the Move Chair, BPW UN Representative, speaking on poverty and xenophobia, racism and social inclusion, alongside Nilam Matullah (World Resources Institute), Margaret Owen (Widows for Peace through Democracy), Dr Justina Mutale (JM Foundation), and Kelly Tallon Franklin (BPW International UN Standing Committee on Human Rights). BPW International
BPW International / NFBPWC-USA — CSW63 UN representation record.
Global Forum on Migration and Development
14th GFMD Summit side event — "How Civil Society is Shifting Migration Narratives," 2024
https://gfmdcivilsociety.org/side-event-at-the-14th-gfmd-summit-how-civil-society-is-shifting-migration-narratives/
Official speaker listing with full biography. Describes 35 years in environmental planning, resilience building and adaptation across Africa, Europe, the Americas and parts of Asia; specialization as a stakeholder engagement specialist focused on the power of narratives from different segments of society; guidance for Afghan women refugees in the United States that helped asylum seekers settle more rapidly and into preferred jobs; and ongoing work for Women on the Move building structures to help wives, mothers and daughters adapt to rapidly evolving situations at home, whether driven by climate, conflict, corruption or other causes. A particularly strong external credential. un
Welcoming International — "Narratives are at the heart of everything" — describes the intervention during the GFMD opening panel and quotes the argument on the ethics of using migrants' stories.
International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) — independently reports and quotes the GFMD intervention.
International speaking
THISDAY (Nigeria), July 21, 2023 — "Nermin Ahmad Joins Gerry, Ocansey at JIFORM Summit In Canada"
https://www.thisdaylive.com/2023/07/21/nermin-ahmad-joins-gerry-ocansey-at-jiform-summit-in-canada/
National newspaper coverage. Named as a top speaker at the 4th Journalists International Forum for Migration Global Migration Summit in Toronto, described as Harvard scholar and United Nations Representative on Migration and Sustainability, delivering a presentation titled "Diversity in Migrant Management and Economic Sustainability," alongside former Canadian Minister of Immigration and Citizenship and Secretary of State Gerry Weiner and Dr Princess Asie Kabuki Ocansey of the African Union Labour Migration Advisory Committee. Vanguard New
Independent Nigeria and Oriental News Nigeria — parallel coverage of the JIFORM speaker announcement, the latter identifying the Harvard, UN Committee on Migration Treasurer, BPW UN Representative and Harvard Club program leader roles together.
BPW International Mediterranean Symposium, Nicosia, Cyprus — the 6th Symposium was held November 17 to 18, 2023; attendance at the 7th Symposium in Nicosia is recorded on LinkedIn.
Harvard
Harvard Alumni Association — official Shared Interest Groups directory
https://alumni.harvard.edu/community/clubs-sigs/sigs-directory
Names the Harvard Alumni Disaster Preparedness and Response Team and lists Nermin Ahmad AB '78 as President. Wikipedia
Harvard Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability — Alumni page
https://salatainstitute.harvard.edu/alumni/
Independently lists the presidency under Harvard's climate and environment alumni resources. A second Harvard-domain confirmation. harvard
Harvard Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship — Alumni Connections
https://publicservice.fas.harvard.edu/alumni-connections
Third Harvard listing of the presidency, with a full description of HADPRT's work: confidential specialist advice for affected alumni and their communities, shipments of critical supplies, volunteers deployed in the aftermath of an incident, and long-term rebuilding strategy in urban planning, public health and education. Harvard Alumni
HADPRT programming archive
https://dprt.ning.com/events/list/past
Record of the SIG's convened programming, including sessions on policy and preparedness, disaster grief, and data security.
Harvard Alumni for Climate and the Environment — Fire Recovery 101 — HADPRT board member and panelist in the Southern California wildfire recovery program.
Harvard Alumni Association — 2017 Non-Profit Board Recruitment Fair speaker biographies — official Harvard PDF identifying Nermin Ahmad AB '78 and the Harvard Club Program Committee role.
Harvard Club of New York — Non-Profit Board Opportunities — HCNY credits Nermin Ahmad and Mark Martinez with organizing the program.
Harvard Class of 1978 — Community Connect to Harvard — identifies her as organizer of the Harvard Club event.
Arts governance
American Symphony Orchestra — Board of Trustees
https://americansymphony.org/staff/
Listed as Nermin K. Ahmad among the Board of Trustees of the orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski, with Leon Botstein as music director and principal conductor, performing regularly at Carnegie Hall and Symphony Space. Wikipedialast
American Symphony Orchestra — January 2026 concert program (PDF)
https://americansymphony.org/wp-content/uploads/01-30-American-Symphony-Orchestra-ISA82.pdf
Printed program carrying the same Board of Trustees listing.
American Symphony Orchestra — American Expressions program (PDF)
https://americansymphony.org/wp-content/uploads/American-Expressions-KCA.pdf
A second printed program with the trustee listing.
dell'Arte Opera Ensemble — Board of Directors
https://dellarteopera.org/about/board-list/
Named among the company's board members. ProPublica
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer — Dell Arte Opera Ensemble Inc
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/134140107
IRS-derived public record listing Nermin Ahmad in the organization's Form 990 officer and board filings. Third-party, non-self-published proof of the board role. yale
dell'Arte Opera — separate public post identifying her as Board Chair.
CSRspace and Kufikia
CSRspace, LLC — csrspace.net. Co-founder and Partner. The consultancy operates on the principle that everyone pays for advice and help according to their means, so that clients engage seriously with the work. Focus areas: sustainability, resilience, effectiveness and economic inclusion. bu
Kufikia — "Changing Lives, 5 People at a Time" — Indiegogo project connecting East African young people to digital work and the global economy.
Federal archival record
U.S. EPA — Superfund NPL Characterization Project: National Results, November 1991
Publication 9345.1-09-0, EPA/540/8-91/069, Office of Emergency and Remedial Response.
https://nepis.epa.gov (document ID 20012FTM)
In the Acknowledgements, EPA specifically recognizes Nermin Ahmad, together with Al Canepa, Catherine Brock, Arthur Johnson, Jennifer Nauen, Amy Newell, Nikki Koch, James Skiridulis and Joe Vescio, as instrumental in helping to design the study, coordinate data collection, and analyze the information. A named acknowledgment in a federal publication. Wikipedia
U.S. EPA — Chemical Safety Audit Program: A Status Report, Appendix C
https://nepis.epa.gov (document ID 9101XENK)
Lists "Nermin Ahmad, Technical Assistance Team Member, Ecology and Environment," with area of responsibility technical information and expertise in writing, on an audit team alongside chemical engineers and chemical safety consultants. epa
U.S. EPA — Chemical Safety Audit Report, W. R. Grace, 1989 — the EPA archive repeatedly identifies Nermin Ahmad as a TAT / EPA Site Audit Team Member, including photographic documentation of hydrocyanic acid unloading, chemical storage, wastewater treatment and other plant operations.
EPA National Superfund NPL Characterization results — a further federal archival record connected to that work.
Languages and education
English, French and Arabic in professional use. A.B. Harvard College (Government, 1978); M.Sc. International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science; visiting student, l'Institut d'Études Politiques; Certificate in Human Rights Studies, Institut International des Droits de l'Homme René Cassin, Strasbourg; Certificate of Competence in Community Relations Practice, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.