Randa Tawil is an author and interdisciplinary scholar studying migration, history of empire, and Arab American racialization. She teaches at University of Washington in the Jackson School of International Studies. She is a member of the Palestinian Feminist Collective, a body of Palestinian and Arab feminists committed to Palestinian social and political liberation by confronting systemic gendered, sexual, and colonial violence, oppression, and dispossession. Her public writings have appeared in The Washington Post, Margins, Open Democracy, and Palestine Square.

Aaron has spent over 13 years in the Middle East and North Africa (Jordan, Libya, Lebanon and Palestine) working in humanitarian, development, media, and rights advocacy spaces.

Most recently, he co-founded, led, scaled, and eventually ceded power to Sawiyan, a now entirely locally and refugee-led organization in Jordan that works in solidarity with marginalized African-origin refugees to advocate on their behalf and incubate community-led programming tackling their most pressing issues. While with Sawiyan, he also chaired/led the founding of the pioneering One Refugee Approach Working Group, which is responsible for successfully achieving unprecedented reform to humanitarian approach, policy towards underrepresented refugees. After stepping down from Sawiyan in 2021 he founded Locally Led, a new collective created by and for those who believe in a more ethical, efficient, and relational way to finance, accompany, and support community-based organizers, activists, and movement leaders around the world.

Aaron deeply believes in a philosophy of ‘building to cede power’, firmly centering affected communities as the drivers of the policy and planning that will directly influence their lives and futures.

A dedicated Libyan Board-certified surgeon with advanced specialization in Vascular Surgery, Dr. Eshtiwy brings expertise and precision to her practice. Beyond the operating room, she is an ambitious professional balancing her roles as a proud mother to her daughter and advocate for women in surgery, both in her native Libya and throughout the region.  She is passionate about both patient care and medical education, thrives in mentoring the next generation of surgeons. She also is deeply passionate about getting creative to combat health and hygiene disinformation shared online using social media.  

Dr. Maryam was among a number of courageous Libyan doctors that provided critical care, emergency care, and coordination in her hometown of Benghazi during the 2011 Libyan Revolution that helped keep the city’s public health infrastructure afloat and saved numerous lives.   

She believes in lifelong learning and empowering others through the sharing of the knowledge and lived experience she’s acquired over the years.  

Randa Tawil is an author and interdisciplinary scholar studying migration, history of empire, and Arab American racialization. She teaches at University of Washington in the Jackson School of International Studies. She is a member of the Palestinian Feminist Collective, a body of Palestinian and Arab feminists committed to Palestinian social and political liberation by confronting systemic gendered, sexual, and colonial violence, oppression, and dispossession. Her public writings have appeared in The Washington Post, Margins, Open Democracy, and Palestine Square.

Aaron has spent over 13 years in the Middle East and North Africa (Jordan, Libya, Lebanon and Palestine) working in humanitarian, development, media, and rights advocacy spaces.

Most recently, he co-founded, led, scaled, and eventually ceded power to Sawiyan, a now entirely locally and refugee-led organization in Jordan that works in solidarity with marginalized African-origin refugees to advocate on their behalf and incubate community-led programming tackling their most pressing issues. While with Sawiyan, he also chaired/led the founding of the pioneering One Refugee Approach Working Group, which is responsible for successfully achieving unprecedented reform to humanitarian approach, policy towards underrepresented refugees. After stepping down from Sawiyan in 2021 he founded Locally Led, a new collective created by and for those who believe in a more ethical, efficient, and relational way to finance, accompany, and support community-based organizers, activists, and movement leaders around the world.

Aaron deeply believes in a philosophy of ‘building to cede power’, firmly centering affected communities as the drivers of the policy and planning that will directly influence their lives and futures.

A dedicated Libyan Board-certified surgeon with advanced specialization in Vascular Surgery, Dr. Eshtiwy brings expertise and precision to her practice. Beyond the operating room, she is an ambitious professional balancing her roles as a proud mother to her daughter and advocate for women in surgery, both in her native Libya and throughout the region.  She is passionate about both patient care and medical education, thrives in mentoring the next generation of surgeons. She also is deeply passionate about getting creative to combat health and hygiene disinformation shared online using social media.  

Dr. Maryam was among a number of courageous Libyan doctors that provided critical care, emergency care, and coordination in her hometown of Benghazi during the 2011 Libyan Revolution that helped keep the city’s public health infrastructure afloat and saved numerous lives.   

She believes in lifelong learning and empowering others through the sharing of the knowledge and lived experience she’s acquired over the years.