Following the tragic loss of our founder and former president Dr. Najmadin Karim, we would like to express our gratitude for the amount of support the WKI received from the public, individuals, organizations, political parties, and government entities in the United States and across greater Kurdistan. While Dr. Karim’s loss has immensely impacted the Kurdish movement and struggle for freedom, today we are proud and honored to welcome our new board of directors and new president. Our new board of directors includes icons, diplomats, doctors, activists including life-long friends of Dr. Karim. We are honored and privileged to welcome to our board of directors Ambassador Peter Galbraith, General (Retired) Jay Garner, Honorable Joe Reeder, Mrs. Evin Bagdu Hanish, Professor David Phillips, Dr. Kendal Nezan, Dr. Gazi Zibari, Mr. Kawa Najim, and Mr. Hemin Osman.
To further continue our work of defending the rights of the Kurdish nation across Kurdistan, our respected board of directors has unanimously elected Sierwan Najmaldin Karim to succeed the late Dr. Karim as the president of the WKI.
Sierwan Najmaldin Karim is a former senior advisor and security director for the late governor of Kirkuk and founder and past president of the Washington Kurdish Institute, Dr. Najmaldin O. Karim. Sierwan has served in various roles in several Kurdish organizations. Since a young age, under the tutelage of his father, Dr. Karim, Sierwan has been involved in Kurdish activism, promoting a united free Kurdistan representing Kurds from all areas. In his professional life, Sierwan has extensive experience as a land developer and real estate asset manager who also provides consulting services to commercial real estate investors. Sierwan holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maryland University College.He is currently pursuing a masters of science in real estate/development at Georgetown University where he was recently elected as Chairman of the Student Advisory Board of Real Estate. He is a resident of Florida where he lives with his family.
The Washington Kurdish Institute
April 8, 2021