Omaid Sharifi, Class of 2011

Co-Founder & President
ArtLords

Omaid Sharifi is a patron of the arts, Co-Founder and President of ArtLords. Sharifi is also co-founder of the “I See You” campaign against corruption, the Hamdeli (Empathy) Network for bringing joy to Afghan citizens, and the Sela Foundation in Afghanistan. He is also a fellow with the Atlantic Council, Asia Society, and the American Foreign Policy Council (Rumsfeld Fellowship). Previously, Sharifi worked as an aide to President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani at the Transition Coordination Commission and as a program manager for Tawanmandi, a multimillion-dollar challenge fund for strengthening civil society in Afghanistan. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Best Animation for Peace and Tolerance Award from the MiSK-UNDP Youth Forum, the Anti-Corruption Excellence Award from Ban Ki-Moon and the Emir of Qatar, and Afghanistan’s Social Media Award for encouraging offline action in 2017, 2016 and 2015. He is also an alumnus of the U.S. State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Sharifi started his career as a kid selling cookies and cigarettes in the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan.