The Ford School is pleased to announce the 2026 cohort of Weiser Diplomacy Fellows: Tariq Fanek (MPA ‘27), Hayley Jewett (MPP ‘28), Anastasiya Miknovets (MPP ‘28), Adna Mohamed (MPP ‘28), and Saumya Nagar (MPP/MBA ‘29). Each year, the Weiser Diplomacy Fellowship is awarded to several MPP students with demonstrated academic and professional achievement and deep interest in diplomacy and related aspects of international affairs.
Tariq Fanek (MPA ‘27) is an economic development practitioner and subnational diplomacy strategist with over nine years of experience in public policy, strategic planning, and coalition building. As the founder of the Detroit Center for International Affairs, he focuses on regional geopolitics and international affairs. Previously, as director of programs at Global Detroit, Tariq designed statewide policy initiatives, managed multi-million-dollar budgets, and successfully advocated for federal and state resource allocation benefiting underserved entrepreneurs. A published researcher and author of several articles and op-eds, he regularly engages with congressional leaders to advocate for global diplomacy investments. He holds a degree in economics and serves as a fellow with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and the German Marshall Fund.
Hayley Jewett (MPP/MS ‘29) grew up in Minnesota and holds a BA in environmental studies from Wellesley College. Her professional background spans environmental advocacy, research, and program management, with field and policy experience across the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and Washington, DC. Working alongside local communities, governments, and multilateral partners, she coordinated programs addressing complex environmental and humanitarian challenges. As a dual degree student at the Ford School and the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability, Hayley is building on her professional experience to deepen her expertise in international policy, clean energy, and transboundary water management. She is particularly interested in exploring how institutions and agreements governing shared natural resources can improve community disaster preparedness, foster regional cooperation, and advance peacebuilding efforts in regions disproportionately affected by climate change and conflict.
Anastasiya Mikhnovets (MPP '28) joins the Ford School as a Weiser Diplomacy Fellow after earning her BA in international relations from Belarusian State University, where she concentrated in foreign policy and diplomacy. Her professional experience spans international organizations and government ministries, where she assessed the effectiveness of regional cooperation initiatives, analyzed diplomatic and legal documents, and translated qualitative and quantitative data into analytical frameworks that informed institutional decision-making. Guided by a commitment to evidence-based governance and equitable international cooperation, she is interested in international economic policy, technology governance, and international development and security. As a Weiser Diplomacy Fellow, she looks forward to strengthening her quantitative and analytical skills and applying them to policy questions that require both rigor and cross-regional perspective.
Adna Mohamed (MPP '28) graduated from Williams College with a BA in political economy and a concentration in Africana studies. Her academic and professional experiences have centered on economic development, health equity, and the ways institutions shape access to opportunity. Before coming to the Ford School, she completed coursework in data, economics, and design of policy, with a focus on international development, studying poverty, political institutions, household decision-making, and the design and evaluation of development interventions. Her professional experience has spanned healthcare, research, and venture capital. At Mass General Brigham, she supported clinical operations and worked closely with physicians and administrators on practice management and AI-focused patient access initiatives. Previously, she conducted health equity research at Massachusetts General Hospital, examining racial and linguistic disparities in delayed presentation among critically ill patients with COVID-19. She also worked at The Engine, a venture firm supporting startups developing technologies to address challenges in advanced computing, climate, and the life sciences. Her work in Boston extended to the public sector, where she served on Mayor Michelle Wu's SPARK Council, contributing to initiatives focused on public health, safety, and economic mobility. Born in Kenya, Adna is particularly interested in the relationship between economic development, institutional capacity building, and diplomacy in East Africa. At the Ford School, she plans to concentrate in international economic development. Through the Weiser Diplomacy Fellowship, she hopes to deepen her understanding of U.S. relations with East Africa and explore how diplomacy and development policy can expand economic opportunity and strengthen institutions across the region.
Saumya Nagar (MPP/MBA ‘28) is a dual master's student at the Ford School and the U-M Ross School of Business. After completing his undergraduate degree in biological engineering at Purdue University in 2015, he worked as an engineer in the energy sector for one year before joining the United States Air Force and serving on active duty for eight years, including one overseas assignment and a Middle East deployment. He has continued his service part time with the Michigan Air National Guard while at the University of Michigan. Saumya's career interests include national security, diplomacy, and defense technology. In his spare time, he enjoys watching sports, reading, traveling, listening to music, working out, and exploring new restaurants with his wife, Anjali.
Read more about the fellowship and past WDC fellows here.
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