Our people

Aida Aidarkulova is a human rights lawyer with over two decades of experience in the civil society sector. She joined Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan in 2009 as director of the law reform program and later served as programs director. In 2019, she was appointed chair of the foundation’s executive council. Prior to working at the foundation, Aida was deputy director of the Almaty branch of the Institute for Law Monitoring, Expertise, and Analysis, a local think tank, where she led the analysis of draft legislation initiated by the government of Kazakhstan.

Nargis Kassenova is a political scientist specializing in Central Asian politics, Eurasian geopolitics, and regional governance. She is senior fellow and director of the program on Central Asia at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, and associate professor at KIMEP University in Almaty. She previously founded and led both the Central Asian Studies Center and the China and Central Asia Studies Center at KIMEP. Nargis holds a PhD in international cooperation studies from Nagoya University in Japan. She serves on several international advisory boards and editorial committees focused on human rights, regional development, and foreign policy.

Peter Leonard is a journalist and communications professional with a long-standing interest with Central Asia. Since March 2024, he has run Havli, an independent Substack newsletter focused on current affairs in Central Asia. Prior to joining CAPS Unlock, Peter was Central Asia Editor at Eurasianet (2015–2024), where he oversaw editorial strategy and coordinated a regional network of correspondents. He previously served as Ukraine Bureau Chief for The Associated Press during a pivotal period following the Maidan uprising (2014–2015), and has also worked as Managing Editor at RIA Novosti’s English-language service. Peter began his career as a Central Asia correspondent for The Associated Press (2007–2013), reporting on major developments across the region. He has also served as Deputy Business Editor at The Moscow Times.

Saule Kalikova is a specialist in education policy with extensive experience across government, civil society, and international organizations. She has held key roles at Kazakhstan’s National Academy of Education, the Education and Science Ministry, the parliament, and Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan. She has advised the government of Kazakhstan and numerous international organizations, including the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, UNDP, and UNESCO, on education sector reform. Her current work involves liaising with UNESCO’s Almaty regional office on education for sustainable development, with a focus on climate change. Saule is the author of numerous policy papers and has led research and mentoring initiatives in general and secondary education.

Hugh McLean is based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where he reads and writes about education, aesthetics, activism and film. Hugh has worked in education all his professional life as an activist, teacher, and funder of education. He was active in the South African student movement. He trained as a teacher and started his teaching career in a remote rural forced-resettlement village for dispossessed farmers in South Africa. He worked in non-formal education and adult literacy with trade unions and rural farmworker groups. After the unbanning of the African National Congress and South Africa’s first democratic government, Hugh worked in corporate social responsibility where he supported programs on early childhood care and education, community development and skills training for incarcerated youth. He established and directed the global education program for the Open Society Foundations from 2006-2020, which was focused on education around the globe by strengthening democratic participation in education, furthering the right to education, and building social accountability to defend education as a public good.

Zuhra Halimova is an executive with 25+ years of experience in international development and inclusive growth across Eurasia and beyond. She served as Executive Director of the Open Society Foundation in Tajikistan for 20 years, managing national reform projects on human rights, rule of law, transparency, digital transformation, business development, and public service reforms—engaging gov’t, development agencies, SCOs, media, and think tanks through participatory approaches. She received a Certificate of Appreciation from UNAPCICT/ESCAP for her contributions to ICT human capacity development in Central Asia. Currently, she is a Senior Advisor at CAPS Unlock, Strategic Advisor at Women in Digital Transformation (WinDt LLC), and a Member of IFIT’s Transition Assistance Group, advising on digital transformation and investment climate reforms. She is also a member of USIP’s C5+1 expert group. Zuhra has consulted for USAID Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment, WB Digital CASA, Internews Greater Internet Freedom Project/Ranking Digital Rights, as well as EU, GIZ, and Demos Helsinki. She holds an MA in International Relations from the Fletcher School (Tufts) with a focus on International Security and an MA in Oriental Studies from Tajik State University. She is an alumna of Stanford CDDRL’s LAD program, CIPE, Harvard Kennedy School (NESA/NDU), and INSEAD-OSF Global Leaders Executive Education Program.

Tlegen Kuandykov is a researcher and think tank professional with experience in policy research, communications, and project management. He focuses on governance and political developments in Central Asia, contributing to discussions on institutional dynamics and regional trends. He holds an MA in World Politics and International Relations from the University of Pavia and is an alumnus of the Global Think Tank Leaders Program (ISPI, OECD, Bocconi University) and the Perspectives 2030 Program (OSCE). He also completed a certificate program on agile AI governance at the School of Transnational Governance of the European University Institute in Florence. His research interests include the comparative study of authoritarianism, political institutions, political stability, public opinion, and AI regulation.

Azimzhan Khitakhunov is a senior research fellow at the CAPS Unlock. He has received his bachelor, master and Ph.D. degrees from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Ph.D. degree was completed in cooperation with the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna, Italy. His research interests include macroeconomics, international economics, regional integration and globalization with a particular focus on the countries of Central Asia and the Eurasian Economic Union. He worked at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, KIMEP University, AlmaU and the Eurasian Research Institute. His research experience includes participation in projects financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, National Bank of Kazakhstan and the CAREC Institute. With the CAREC Institute he has completed projects on the role of special economic zones in the digital transformation of Central Asia and public awareness of climate change in Kazakhstan.

Askar Kushkunbayev oversees strategic grantmaking and fundraising initiatives to advance CAPS Unlock’s mission and impact. He supports program teams in developing high-quality projects, facilitates effective partner engagement, and ensures that grant portfolios align with the organization’s strategic priorities. He also leads due diligence, risk assessment, and capacity-strengthening processes for grantees and partners. Askar brings over a decade of experience in transparency, accountability, and civil society development.

Gulnora Beknazarova is a sociologist, national gender expert, and member of the board of directors at Zerkalo-Group. She is also part of the gender-working group under the Women and Family Affairs Committee of the Government of Tajikistan. Previously, she served as Director of LLC “Z-Analytics” in Tajikistan and began her professional career in 2008 as Head of the Research Unit at the Sociological Research Centre “Zerkalo.” Ms. Beknazarova holds a B.A. from Tajik National University in Dushanbe, a Master’s degree in Gender Sociology from the European Humanities University (2003), and a Ph.D. in Social Philosophy (2007). She has authored and co-authored several publications on social inequality, migration, and gender issues.

Yuliy Yusupov is an economist and the Scientific Director of the Center for Economic Development in Uzbekistan. He has extensive experience in research and consulting in Central Asia, focusing on economic development, business growth, foreign trade, and economic policy, as well as marketing research and consulting across various markets. In addition, he has experience in teaching and project management. Yuliy collaborates with international organizations, including the EBRD, UNDP, ADB, IFC, World Bank, USAID, GIZ, JICA, UNICEF, IFAD, UNESCO, and others. He is actively engaged as an international consultant, particularly for EBRD projects, where he has worked on more than 40 initiatives. He is the author of several textbooks and monographs, more than 20 analytical reports, and over 200 articles published in academic journals and collected volumes. He is also a member of the Public Council on Entrepreneurship under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Founder and Director of Steppe&World Publishing and Alghayat Literary Agency based in Almaty. Raisa has studied in Egypt, the UK, the USA, and the Netherlands. Her work experience includes positions at Chatham House in London, ASYIA Investment in Kuwait, and BEBE Cashmere in Germany. With extensive academic, corporate, entrepreneurial, and non-governmental project leadership experience, she is now channeling her knowledge into bringing the world’s best literature to Kazakhstan. Steppe&World, founded in 2017, has successfully partnered with leading international publishing houses and published world-renowned books in the Kazakh language. The company’s strength lies in delivering accessible, high-quality translations of literature. Raisa is a social entrepreneur with the ambition to become the leading publisher in the Kazakh language and to create a positive impact on local communities, especially the younger generation.

Medet Tiulegenov is a Senior Research Fellow at the Graduate School of Development’s Civil Society Initiative at the University of Central Asia. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at the International and Comparative Politics Department of the American University of Central Asia. His research and teaching interests encompass contentious politics, civil society in transitional countries, identity, and normative politics. Before 2008, Medet worked in the nonprofit sector, and earlier in his career, he was a research fellow at the National Academy of Sciences and Kyrgyz National University. He holds a degree in history from Kyrgyz State University (1993), a Master of Public Administration from Bowling Green State University, USA (1996), and is currently a PhD Candidate in Political Science at Central European University, Austria.

Michael Hall is a researcher and project director whose work focuses on the protection of human rights, the advancement of fundamental freedoms, and the prevention of conflict in Central Asia.