Wahid Omar

Wahid Omar, Ph.D., is an education specialist with more than 20 years of experience working in international development, most of which has focused on improving access to quality education for students across Afghanistan. Dr. Omar served as Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party for the USAID funded Afghanistan University Support and Workforce Development Program (USWDP). As Chief of Party he was responsible for the overall management of the program and served as the primary point of contact with USAID through the Agreement Officer Representative (AOR). He supervised program implementation and served as the principle interlocutor with USAID and key stakeholders, including officials at the Ministry of Higher Education and other government agencies, administrators at public universities, and representatives from the public and private sectors. He also oversaw the implementation of the program, working closely with two Deputy Chiefs of Party, a Director of Finance and Administration, and other senior managers to guarantee the effective management and success of the program. Dr. Omar was responsible for ensuring the program meets stated goals and reporting requirements while being mindful of good business practices, stewardship of U.S. government funds, and other compliance-related considerations. As Deputy Chief of Party, he oversaw all activities under the project’s Academic Performance component, including support to the Ministry of Higher Education’s nascent quality assurance and accreditation processes and technical assistance to improve the quality of select graduate, undergraduate, and associate degree programs in the country’s public universities. In addition to his technical duties, Dr. Omar ensured coordination among all project activities, including those implemented under the project’s Organizational Performance component. He routinely served as the project’s primary liaison with the Deputy Minister for Academic Affairs and with the senior leadership from the 10 Afghan universities which are slated to benefit from participation in project activities. In recognition of his excellent relationships with USAID and key project stakeholders, he frequently was called upon to represent USWDP at senior-level functions with stakeholders and donors. Prior to his current position, Dr. Omar served in several leadership positions for the USAID funded Afghanistan Higher Education Project (HEP, 2006-2011 and 2011-2014), including as Deputy Chief of Party overseeing technical implementation of all technical activities during the final 18 months of the project. During his tenure with HEP he was instrumental in developing a sustainable model for new graduate degree programs at Afghan public universities. He was critical to the successful implementation of the Master’s of Education Program at Shaheed Professor Rabbani Education University (formerly Kabul Education University) and the Master’s of Public Policy and Administration at Kabul University. The model developed under Dr. Omar’s leadership has been adopted by the Ministry of Higher Education for use by all Afghan public universities. In addition to his contributions to improved graduate education, Dr. Omar has helped to improve approaches to university leadership and management, faculty professional development, curriculum reform, and countless other aspects of higher education. Much of his success is attributable to his longstanding professional commitment to improving education in Afghanistan. Dr. Omar served as Deputy Chief of Party and Chief of Party for the USAID funded University Support & Workforce Development from 2014-2017.