Member Spotlight: An Interview with Saif Ishoof
by Lynare Robbins
Global Ties Miami recently had the chance to work with member, Saif Ishoof, on a special virtual session for an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) focused on Global Health Challenges and the U.S. Electoral Process. During the program Saif served as a panelist to help explain the U.S. election process to forty seven IVLP participants, along with Robert Rodriguez, Assistant Deputy Supervisor of Elections, Government Affairs & Media Relations from the Miami-Dade County Office of Elections and Dr. Sean Foreman, Political Science Professor and Chair of the Department of History and Political Science at Barry University. During Saif’s presentation to the IVLP group, he brought humanity into the discussion by reminding us all that the way we see elections and the issues associated with them depend on which lens we are all viewing the world from.
Saif has a vibrant background and experience from which he draws his world view. “I am a proud Miami native- meaning, like many folks, that I am an immigrant to South Florida.” While born in Guyana, Saif moved to Miami with his family at the age of two. “I grew up in Miami, went away to college in Washington D.C. at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, and then returned to attend law school at the University of Miami.” He says that he spent the first decade of his career in the private sector as a start-up entrepreneur and lawyer engaged in international business where he then transitioned to the social enterprise and higher-education space.
He is married to his wife, Amira, and is the father of two children who are in 9th grade and 7th grade. “Our family is passionate about community, food, travel and our own family book club.” Saif shares what a normal weekend (pre-pandemic) would consist of for him and his family, “It could have my family traversing from South Dade for a good mango shake at Robert is Here to a juicy Jamaican patty at Sonia’s Patties in Kendall and then onwards to checking out smaller galleries in Little Haiti and then a stop at Lil Greenhouse Grill in Overtown for their world famous wings. We love the Miami Book Fair as it has to be one of the single greatest gems of Miami but we also enjoy taking in FIU football games or cheering on our FIU Band. We also like spending time in the great outdoors in places like Oleta River State Park.”
As the Vice President for Engagement at Florida International University (FIU), where he leads, supports and creates high value partnerships for the university with businesses, local governments, associations, non-profits and leaders, Saif explains that the partnerships are developed in support of the scholarship of faculty and the learning agenda of students to advance meaningful points of collaboration of the university with the broader South Florida community. “The partnerships we develop are in support of our university’s 2025 Next Horizon Strategic Plan and our broader mission to become a Top 50 Public University.” He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs at FIU. In that capacity, he teaches in the Master of Arts in Global Affairs program and serves as a resource to the Dean of the Green School. “A key initiative I have been involved with in this role is a Ford Foundation funded project regarding Public Interest Technology in which I serve as an advisor.”
In terms of engagement, Saif has championed many initiatives for developing leadership among youth. “I think that one of the most important investments our society can make is in the leadership capacity of young people.” He provides insight into the elements of our society that are being disrupted and reimagined and says, “It is incumbent for institutions of higher education to act decisively in equipping rising leaders with the skills to navigate evolving complexity. I believe our FIU has deeply embraced this mission both via faculty-led initiatives in the classroom and also the broader portfolio of skills and competencies that students are acquiring through co-curricular activities and experiential learning via internships and career placement.” Saif shares his belief that the most important attribute we can encourage young minds to embrace is the idea of a growth mindset. “Getting young leaders to view their human potential through an expansionary lens is critical in helping them evolve to meet the challenges of the ever-changing world around them.”
As many Americans are focused on what kind of society we are shaping today in terms of socioeconomic realities for future generations, demography analysts have recently published that the millennial generation has lived through back to back recessions during their life spans. This statement suggests that millennials have grown up with not just one, but now two economic downturns. If a millennial were ten years old during the Great Recession of 2008, and witnessed their family go through a tough economic time, maybe even losing their home, that millennial is now twenty two years old, who might now have economic difficulties of their own, such as high student loan debt while also living through a pandemic that has rendered employment challenges. When asked to share his insights on the challenges that millennial college students might be experiencing and what kinds of solutions might exist, Saif explains, “There is no doubt that Generation Z college students and their older millennial counterparts have been hit with the challenges of an economy that is being transformed both by technology and the fall-out of the Covid-19 pandemic.” Although Saif said that there are no easy answers for how young professionals can navigate an uncertain landscape, he suggests that they must continue to invest in upgrading their skillsets and finding new avenues to engage in active experiential learning. “One important step that is shown to increase career competitiveness is seeking out paid internships and fellowships as soon as possible. In my role as VP of Engagement at FIU, my team oversees a portal called the Talent Development Network (TDN).”
He further explains that TDN connects students from all seven local academic institutions with businesses looking for paid interns. TDN is funded by the Helios Education Foundation and operated on the behalf of the seven academic institutions by FIU.
According to Saif, one of the single most important investments that the education sector can make is in embracing new technology and new modalities of delivering learning. “At FIU, our university has been actively engaged in leveraging new technologies for the learning journey of our students. Our FIU Online unit is by itself a $100M+ per annum business unit and as a function of the pandemic we were able to pivot to the delivery of all of classes using technology.”
Saif says that in the coming years, institutions that will thrive and compete will be the ones who understand the balance of high tech and high touch. “On one end, it is clear that machine learning is reshaping the academy, but that must be coupled with deep investments in the people power to drive this change. New technologies like Blockchain, Quantum Computing and other affiliated technologies will drive many of the crucial breakthroughs in learning in this coming decade and beyond.” Although Saif says that he does not think anyone can clearly predict the ways in which technology will ultimately refashion our society and world at large, it is clear that we are at a critical point in ensuring that our systems of governance are adequately strengthened to provide for technology that fuels the better angels of the human experience. “One initiative that I am involved with is the Public Interest Technology University Network (PITUN) which FIU is a founding member of. PITUN is dedicated to building out the field known as Public Interest Technology. In the same way that 50 years ago we saw the creation of the Public Interest law field, we know that our society needs more public minded technologists and also more public interest officials empowered with deeper understandings of frontier technologies.” He adds that when we look at the complex relationship between social media and democracy, we know that important work remains to be done in ensuring that we balance technology and the human condition.
Saif is relentlessly passionate about all aspects of culture in Miami. In terms of pressing issues that changemakers in Miami should be focused on, he says, “There isn’t one single issue that changemakers should be focused on in Miami- but rather an approach that recognizes the conjoined nature of some deeper challenges like climate change, income inequality, and health disparities.” On the challenges involved he says, “we can get siloed in how we look at these issues, but that means we miss the forest for the trees and fail to see that so many of these issues lie in adjacency. This is one of the reasons why I am so passionate about the power of collaboration — we can get so much further if we bring in experts and community folks from neighboring disciplines to help us work through the complex thicket of issues that have left unresolved in our community.” Saif further explains that such a community change requires each one of us to realize that the answers to our most vexing questions cannot be solved in a vacuum; they must be co-solved as a community. “While that path of collaboration might take a little longer, it means that we are ensuring that every voice is given a sense of agency as we are driving meaningful impact.”
Almost a decade ago Saif participated in a U.S. State Department exchange to Turkey, for the Young American/Young Turkish leaders for public diplomacy. He relays the experience of being a transformational citizen diplomacy effort that he was so fortunate to be a part of.
“Annette Alvarez (Executive Director of Global Ties Miami) nominated me for the program and I was lucky to be selected by the U.S. Department of State. I was able to spend an entire month in Turkey deep diving on the major issues and challenges facing that emerging country.” During his time in Turkey, he heard from political, religious, civic, labor, entrepreneurial and student groups about their lived experiences and challenges. “In addition to absorbing the richness of the Turkish culture- I was able to share on a number of occasions about my own experiences as a social entrepreneur in America.” The cohort of Americans leaders who Saif traveled with were engaged in a broad spectrum of work. “The program also afforded us the opportunity to be teamed up with a rising Turkish leader who would also spend time with us in a homestay in America. I was able to host a Turkish civic entrepreneur in Miami and show him our work in Miami and because of the power of social media- he and I remain friends to this day. In some regards, this is exactly the power of exchanges- building deeper bridges of understanding at a human level.”
Saif shares that he has traveled to close to fifty countries. “I don’t know if I have one favorite destination specifically, but I will say that I deeply enjoyed my time in Southeast Asia — countries like Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia fascinate me for a range of reasons and I am a big lover of Asian street food.” He relays how he and his family’s last international excursion before the pandemic was a trip to Ireland and Scotland where they explored the region via train. “Part of the train ride up to Scotland actually includes the real-life footage that is used in the Harry Potter Hogwarts Express train journey- just beautiful lush green landscapes and the water on the other side. We had such a great time and my kids, and I are convinced that we might have come close to spotting Nessie during our time at Loch Ness!!! I definitely ate way too much chocolate during that trip!”
Saif recalled how he and Amira became members and involved with Global Ties Miami over a decade ago. “My mom was actively engaged as a member. She and the inimitable Annette Alvarez go back close to two decades ago and so I would see my Mom hosting different IVLP groups over the years and arising from that, I tried to stay engaged as a supporter in the work of the organization in whatever way I could be helpful.” He explains that his view on the importance of international diplomacy and programs like the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) has been shaped by his experiences. “I was trained in university as a diplomat and while I never joined the US Foreign Service, I believe deeply in the universality of the human experience. I feel that we can close the gap in misunderstanding between nations and cultures if we can find more meaningful points of contact like those created via IVLP’s.” Saif says that he has witnessed firsthand the power of these kinds of experiences whether it is via his US/Turkey experience or his time as a German Marshall Fellow. “The points of proximity between individuals of different cultures and backgrounds can drive the types of epiphanies that we need.” He adds that IVLP programs afford a different lens through which to see a new country that is different from when we experience it as a tourist. “Whether it is during our time hosting foreign visitors or when we ourselves visit an otherwise strange land- we are creating a framework where we can better understand the lived experiences of a new place in a truly authentic way.” Saif sums up the power of meaningful travel and exchange programs with a cherished quote. “It is for this reason I have always held in high regards the words of the ancient traveler Ibn Battuta who once said: Traveling — it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
