Jayson Browder, PCS ’13, and Mohamed Sweify, S.J.D., LAW ’21, were both included on the list of people “shaping the present and future of U.S.–Middle East relations,” according to the council, which aims “to contribute to American understanding of the political, economic and cultural issues that affect U.S. interests in the Middle East.”

Browder, a decorated veteran of the U.S. Air Force, is the founder and chairman of Veterans in Global Leadership, a nonprofit that provides executive-level leadership development programs for veterans. Previously, he was an assistant dean at New York University Abu Dhabi, a presidential management fellow at the White House, and a military adviser to former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke.

“I’m truly appreciative for being recognized among such inspiring individuals who are committed to building better relationships between the United States and the Middle East,” Browder said. “Fordham has been an integral part in this journey of mine, as I earned my Fulbright scholarship to Turkey while a student at Fordham, which I’ll forever be grateful for.”

Sweify is a bilingual, dual-qualified attorney in civil and common law with expertise in both Egyptian and U.S. law. He is a co-chair and executive member of the International Dispute Resolution Committee and an executive member of the Domestic Arbitration Committee at the New York State Bar Association. Sweify has taught and been a guest speaker on Islamic law at Fordham Law School, and while studying, he was on the student advisory board of the Institute on Religion, Law and Lawyer’s Work. Before joining the S.J.D. program at Fordham in 2017, Sweify practiced international arbitration in an international law firm in the Middle East and then joined the financial crimes department of the Egyptian public prosecution office.

“Fordham Law has enabled me to bridge the gaps between the United States and the Middle East,” Sweify said. “As a civil and common law legal practitioner and scholar, I tried to bring the advantages of both systems through Fordham’s message in advancing the legal practice. This award could not have been obtained without my work at Fordham and the support I have had from its administration.”

The Middle East Policy Council, founded in 1981, publishes the quarterly journal Middle East Policy, hosts the Capitol Hill Conference Series for policymakers and their staffs, and performs national outreach for students, educators, and civic leaders.