Over 100 Afghans guide our work in Afghanistan. GPFA invests in training Afghan horticulturists, foresters, engineers, agronomists and village leaders. A small finance and administrative staff in New York City supports our Afghan operations. Our Executive Director leads the organization from the Kabul office, with regular visits to the United States.
Executive Director
Program Managers
Jawid Ahmad
Mirza Mohammad Naqshbandy
Fatima Sardar
Fazal Omer
Ubaidullah Ahmadzai
Regional Managers
Mohammad Hashim Wafa (Kabul)
Rahman Gul (Paktya)
Development
Finance
Khatool Hashimi
Mohammad Khalil
Human Resources
Administration
Staff Profiles
Roger Hardister joined GPFA as Executive Director in 2008. He was formerly Vice President for Program Development at the Near East Foundation (NEF). He was based in Cairo, Egypt, for most of his tenure with NEF. Prior to his position as Vice President, Roger served as NEF’s Program Director for Egypt and Sudan and later established and managed the Foundation’s Cairo-based Regional Office serving the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa. He served as Regional Director for more than 15 years and established NEF offices and independent program activities in 10 countries. Roger holds a master’s degree in social work (organization and community studies) and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from the University of North Carolina, where he also taught MSW students in the School of Social Work.
Jawid Ahmad is GPFA’s Kabul-based Program Support Services Manager. Prior to joining GPFA, he worked as a Farm Development Manager with Advancing Afghan Agriculture Alliance Project, a USAID project implemented by Purdue University in collaboration with five Afghan Universities. Jawid established research demonstration farms at these universities to provide practical facilities for agriculture education and learning. Previously, he worked as the Badam Bagh Research and Demonstration Farm Manager USAID/ASAP/Chemonics for two and a half years. Jawid graduated from Kabul University with a degree in agriculture.
Mirza Mohammad Naqshbandy, GPFA’s Kabul-based Projects Manager, is a specialist in both fruit and forestry trees. He has coordinated complex environmental conservation programs, including watershed management, environmental conservation programs, agroforestry initiatives and nurseries. He previously served as senior Environmental Manager for the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee and has worked for the Government of Afghanistan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL). Mirza received a Diploma in Forestry from the Faculty of Agriculture, Kabul University and has studied at the Izmir Forest Research Institute in Turkey.
Fatima Sardar is GPFA’s Women’s Program Manager for Afghanistan. A graduate of Kabul University, she worked as an extensionist for the international Rescue committee in central and southeastern Afghanistan and as a supervisor for CARE International before joining GPFA in 2007. Fatima leads GPFA’s efforts to establish tree-based and related enterprises owned and managed by women. She also oversees a variety of smaller, more traditional women’s activities designed to encourage and support rural women’s work and to introduce them to larger, more lucrative alternatives. In addition to her Kabul University degree, Fatima has participated in a number of educational and exchange programs, including a tour of horticulture programs in Turkey.
Fazal Omer GPFA Engineering Services Manager, supports GPFA activities for increasing water use efficiency, irrigation trials and small agriculture construction projects. Fazal has a degree in Civil Engineering from Kabul University and received training from the JICA International Training Center in Tokyo. Prior to joining GPFA, Fazal was employed as projects manager for the Afghan Reconstruction and Development Association (RDA) in Kabul and Wardak provinces and earlier as site engineer in Kandahar Province. He has also worked as a site engineer for the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC) in Ghazni Province, with the Government of Afghanistan Kabul Municipality City Planning Department, and in the private sector as a design engineer with Mercury Development.
Ubaidullah Ahmadzai, GPFA’s Business Development Advisor, supports the development of farm-based businesses on behalf of GPFA clients. Prior to joining GPFA, he worked as a Business Development Manager with FLAG International, a US-based company working throughout Asia and Europe. He previously worked with Checchi Consultancy, where he was a member of the evaluation and assessment teams for two USAID projects. For three years, he worked as a Contracts Officer with the Afghanistan Ministry of Finance. He holds an undergraduate degree from Kabul University and an MBA from Goa University in India.
Mohammad Hashim Wafa, Kabul Provincial Manager and GPFA Tree House Director, is a graduate in agriculture form Kabul University and has attended numerous in-service training programs in technical and management areas. His specialization is in the establishment and management of fruit tree nurseries. He was one of GPFA’s first employees, initially assigned to work as an extensionist in Guldara District, Kabul Province. Hashim has played an instrumental role in developing the GPFA Tree House Training Center in Guldara and in expanding GPFA activities in Kabul Province. He also serves as a technical specialist for nursery activities in other provinces.
Rahman Gul heads GPFA’s largest provincial program in Paktya Province and is now working to establish GPFA programs in Paktika and Khost provinces. He is a graduate of the Vocational Institute in Kabul and has attended numerous in-service training programs. Prior to joining GPFA, Rahman Gul was employed by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as an agriculture extensionist and facilitator and as a Master Trainer for the Afghan Women’s Education Committee (AWCE). He is known for his teaching and training skills and for his role in developing many of GPFA’s talented younger staff.
Liam Harte is GPFA’s New York-based Development & Administration Manager. He is responsible for managing GPFA’s fundraising and communications activities. He also supports operations in the NY office. He began at GPFA as the Development & Administrative Assistant and was promoted to his current position in 2011. He previously worked as a Development Assistant at two NY nonprofit arts organizations and as a Database Administrator at an event-planning company. He has attended training workshops in foundation grant-writing, online fundraising, and business proposal development. He holds a BFA from New York University.
Khatool “Kathy” Hashimi is GPFA’s New York-based Controller. A native of Afghanistan, she speaks both Dari and Pashto, the two official languages of the country. Prior to joining GPFA, she held three positions of increasing responsibility with ORBIS International in New York, a non-profit organization fighting blindness in developing countries. Kathy was Senior Accountant for five years, Accounting Manager for two years, and Associate Director of Finance for four years at ORBIS. She previously worked in the business office of Eastern Lobby Shop. Khatool’s undergraduate degree in accounting was earned at Queens College, City University of New York; currently she is completing coursework for an MBA degree in finance and accounting at DeVry University.
Mohamed Khalil currently serving as GPFA’s Kabul Financial Manager, began his work with GPFA in 2005 as Administration/Finance Officer and Office Manager. Khalil has a diploma in Business Administration from Kardan University, Kabul and another in Information Technology from the Computer Guidance College (CGC). He also has participated in a number of short courses and training programs in accounting. He is now studying for a B.A. in Business Administration at Dunya University, Kabul. Before joining GPFA, Khalil worked as a computer and English language instructor for CGC.
Mohammad Akbar Anwaree is GPFA’s Kabul-based Director of Human Resources. He speaks Dari, Pashtu, Uzbek, Urdu, Hindi, and English. Prior to joining GPFA, he held a range of senior positions at NGOs and private companies. For four years, he worked as a consultant in the Capacity Development program of a USAID project. Previously, he served as the Vice President of ARFC, a local company funded by USAID-ARIES, and also as the Administration & Finance Manager of a local NGO. For six years, he worked as the Senior Administration & Finance Manager for Merlin, a UK-based NGO. He received his undergraduate degree from Bakhtar University, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Faiz Mohammad Zarmalwal is GPFA’s Kabul Office Manager. Faiz joined GPFA in 2006, working in security, and was appointed office manager in 2008. He completed his education at Lycee Waziri in Jalalabad and from there went to Karachi in Pakistan where he worked in the private sector. Previous employers include the International Rescue Committee (IRC), HealthNet, and GRRL – a private sector construction company. Faiz is now completing a B.A. in Business Administration at Kardan University in Kabul and has attended a variety of workshops and training programs in office management and reporting.