Dr.
Ghafar Lakanwal is a native of Afghanistan, a Muslim and an American citizen.
He was born and raised in Afghanistan. Dr. Lakanwal studied Agricultural Science
at the Kabul University of Afghanistan. After finishing his doctorate at the Institute
of Rural Sociology and Applied Psychology at the University of Hohenheim in Germany,
he worked for the German International Development Agency until 1978. In August
of that year, Dr. Lakanwal returned to his country to be part of the social and
economic changes that were introduced by the new government. In December of 1979,
the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.
Dr. Lakanwal still wanted to be part
of the process of change. In March of 1982, he was appointed to the position of
Minister of Agriculture. In 1986, because of his opposition to the government,
he was placed under house arrest for two years, until February 1988. The political
changes in the former Soviet Union led by Mikhail Gorbachev also brought changes
in his life. He was released from house arrest in February 1988. From March of
1988 to November, Dr. Lakanwal was Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the Afghan
Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. In December 1988, while on
an official visit to New York, he asked the United States government for political
asylum. In February 1996, he became a citizen of the United States of America.
In October 1991, Ghafar Lakanwal founded the Minnesota Cultural Diversity
Center, currently the MultiCultural Development Center (MCDC), a non-profit organization
that promotes multicultural understanding and inclusiveness in the workplace as
well as in the community. He developed and has nurtured the "Sharing Diversity"TM
concept for MCDC since its founding. Dr. Lakanwal is a practitioner, event coordinator
and a speaker in the area of cultural diversity. He has traveled to over 30 countries
and speaks English, German, Russian, Persian and his native language, Pashtoo.
Dr. Lakanwal serves as a Board Member of the Council of Asian-Pacific Minnesotans.
In 1997, Dr. Lakanwal was presented with the Exemplary Practices Award from the
American Society for Public Administration. In 2001, he was the recipient of the
Omar Bonderud Award given by the Human Rights Commission of the City of Bloomington.
In 2005, Lakanwal was presented with the International Leadership Institute's Immigrant Achievement Award.
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Laurie Trousil is a Minnesota native of Czech descent who was born and raised in Alexandria. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, Morris, majoring in French and International Relations. She received her Master's degree from the American University in Cairo (AUC), where she majored in political science. Laurie lived and worked in Egypt for a total of 8 years, spending five years as a supervisor of the KG-1 (Kindergarten) program at the Orouba Language School in Ma'adi, Egypt.
Laurie has traveled to a total of 23 countries and has extensive knowledge of Islam as well as Middle Eastern cultures. She continues to travel annually to Egypt, where she maintains strong relationships with her friends and former colleagues.
Laurie is the current Manager of Resources and Product Development with the MultiCultural Development Center (MCDC).
Charissa Blue, MCDC Executive Assistant, brings with her a broad base of skills and contacts in multicultural teaching and management. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Ethnic Studies as well as a Master of Science degree in Ethnic and Multicultural Studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Her work experience includes two years with the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Division for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities as a Project Analyst where she focused on recruitment and retention of underrepresented students for the system. Charissa has also worked with the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) as their Graduate Fellowship coordinator.
