Atlas Corps is proud of the incredible work our Host Organizations are doing and of the substantial impact Atlas Corps Fellows have on their teams. Meet one of our outstanding Host Organizations, Center for Open Data Enterprise’s (CODE) story and their Fellow Muneeb (Class 46, Pakistan)!
Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE)
CODE is a nonprofit organization that maximizes the value of open and shared data for the public good by working with government agencies, businesses, nonprofits, and researchers who are both data providers and data users.
Fellow Supervisor: Paul Kuhne
At Atlas Corps, we have a tradition of stating our “Five Facts” when introducing ourselves to new people. What are your five facts?
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Name: Paul Kuhne Hometown: Albany, New York, U.S.A. Role at Organization: Roundtables Program Manager Social Issue/Interest Area: Addressing Toxic Polarization through Better Dialogue and Civic Engagement Fun Fact: As an avid gardener, I’ve somehow kept a batch of tomato, pepper, and basil plants thriving on my very hot green roof in the D.C summer. It’s required a lot of watering and care! |
Why is it important for you to inspire future social change leaders?
Mentorship is one of the key ingredients to unlocking someone’s potential and spurring real social change. I credit the success I’ve had in my own career to a string of very impactful mentors and change leaders who blazed the trail before me. These individuals coached me through professional challenges, helped me become a better version of myself, and made sure I always stayed focus on my north star. I’ve been able to work in a variety of social change spaces but always come back to seeing social change leaders do their best with the support of good mentors. I believe that coaching future change leaders like Muneeb is part of paying it forward and brings me a tremendous amount of hope and inspiration for our world.
When and how did you first hear about Atlas Corps, and why did you decide to become a Host Organization?
I first heard about Atlas Corps from the Open Gov Hub, which was hosting an Atlas Corps Fellow at the time. I was impressed by the talent and drive the Atlas Corps Fellow brought to their role, and I wanted to bring someone with that same passion and skill to CODE. CODE has long been a champion of maximizing the value of open and shared data for the public good. We closely reviewed the process and our own needs, and felt that an Atlas Corps Fellow could expand our program delivery and reach even newer partners. We were very fortunate to bring Muneeb on board as our Data and Project Management Fellow. He’s been a huge asset to us ever since.
Can you please share with us a little bit more about your team’s role in supporting Muneeb’s achievement towards his PMP certification?
Within the first week of supervising Muneeb, I was happy to learn that he too shared the goal of becoming PMP certified. I had begun the process at the end of 2021, but really found it difficult to study alone. Muneeb was a willing and motivated partner in our shared pursuit of obtaining our PMP certification. Through that, we co-created a study plan and week-by-week approach to keep one another accountable and progressing with the content. In addition, CODE provided the needed time each week to actually study within work hours. This was a critical element to our success so we weren’t expending too much time during the weekends or after hours studying. All in all, it required a lot of effort but we both managed to achieve that goal within six months of initiating our studies. I really do attribute this accomplishment to Muneeb’s steadfast ambition and commitment.
Team Celebratory Lunch for PMP Certification
How will Muneeb’s contributions and insights impact your organization in the long run?
Muneeb’s contributions have professionalized CODE and grown our capacity in substantial ways. First and foremost, Muneeb has helped develop new systems around project management that have elevated CODE’s ability to implement and measure the success of different projects. Muneeb has also helped CODE shift further towards supporting our climate work with the creation of the Climate Data for Adaptation and Resilience Typology (DART) tool. This work with Paris21 and Open Data Watch has generated considerable interest from other prospective partners and has really positioned CODE to take on additional climate work. Lastly, I want to highlight how Muneeb’s thought partnership has moved CODE further towards a professionalized, consulting-oriented organization that works on exciting and critical issues. Muneeb has both provided helpful perspective as we strategically plan and gone above and beyond in delivering valuable work products that illustrate this vision. He has developed beautiful marketing collateral for CODE, offered recommendations on business development, and generally shared his feedback on creating more action-oriented work products. All of this has made CODE a much nimbler and more forward-looking organization.
How has working with Muneeb impacted you and your team’s global perspective?
Working with Muneeb has helped us look at opportunities and areas of work that are outside of our normal focus. Muneeb has regularly made introductions to organizations we were not aware of and also shared use cases from Pakistan and other contexts that strengthened the outcomes of our work. It’s also made me much more conscientious of Pakistani traditions, religious customs, and yes, food, than I had previously been exposed to. Muneeb, I still must thank you for taking me to that wonderful buffet in Virginia! Inshallah, one day I’ll take my family to visit him and his family in Pakistan.
What message would you like to send to individuals who are interested in hosting an Atlas Corps Fellow?
Atlas Corps Fellows are some of the smartest, hardest working, and talented individuals you can come across. If you choose to use them to their full potential, their work can have a huge and lasting impact on your organization. These future leaders can help unlock the social change you’re striving for. Would highly recommend to any organization considering getting an Atlas Corps Fellow!
Fellow: Muneeb (Class 46, Pakistan)
At Atlas Corps, we have a tradition of stating our “Five Facts” when introducing ourselves to new people. What are your five facts?
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Name: Muneeb Malik Hometown: Islamabad, Pakistan Role at Organization: Data Project Management Fellow Social Issue/Interest Area: Sustainability; Project Management; Climate and Environment Fun fact: I have backpacked in over 20 European countries in a period of 3 weeks. Also, my current passport has active visas for the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Canada which is a big achievement provided that the Pakistani passport is one of the least favorite passports in the world! |
What inspires you most as a leader?
I strongly believe that I have very sound project management and strong communication skills which enable me to be a good leader. In the past, I have led multiple teams academically and professionally. Being friendly and cooperative in nature, I tend to make my team members comfortable making me a good fit as a leader.
Congratulations on your PMP Certification! Can you please share with us more about how the Fellowship and your Host Organization helped you achieve this?
Thank you! Indeed, this has been one of the biggest milestones and outcomes from the Fellowship and my service with CODE. As one of the Fellowship goals for developing project management practices and processes at CODE, my supervisor, Paul, and I prepared and appeared for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. We both became accountabuddies for this certification helping and supporting each other with exam preparation, online courses, mock exams and developing interactive study materials and guidelines. Moreover, I am grateful to CODE for supporting me financially for my PMP certification and enabling me to give this exam from Washington, D.C.. This has been a huge achievement in my career progression.
Please tell us more about your role at Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE) and what you hope to get out of the experience.
I have been supporting CODE in multiple departments, especially by incorporating my project management and data analysis skills. I have worked on strategizing CODE’s project management and knowledge management practices and processes. I have also led a project with PARIS21 on developing a practice ready toolkit for climate adaptation and resilience. I also support CODE in developing marketing and business development collaterals and other publications. Not only do I support CODE with the on-going research but also incorporate smart tools and software to advance our projects and programs. I feel like I have been supporting CODE with data innovation initiatives in redefining use of open data for public good.
How is your Host experience impacting your global perspective?
I have been an advocate for climate adaptation and resilience and therefore, my work with PARIS21 on developing Climate DART has been a huge milestone in developing practice ready tool to enable policymakers and government stakeholders to work on their climate adaptation goals. Moreover, working with international stakeholders and project partners has enabled me to broaden my vision for sustainable development goals and also through active network with peers, Fellows, and colleagues I have been empowered with knowledge and skillsets. Moreover, the experts at CODE team are extremely fun to work with and I learn a lot through our projects.
How will you build upon the skills and knowledge gained during your Fellowship once you return to your home country?
I will be using the resources and networks acquired during the Fellowship in my future endeavors. Not only this, but I also strongly believe that I have learnt a lot along the lines of project management and data analysis during my Fellowship which are key skills in my line of work. I will focus on solving the local challenges and problems of my country using the tools and resources that I built and developed during my Fellowship.
What message would you like to send to individuals (Volunteer, Donors, Board of Directors) who support Atlas Corps?
Indeed, the Atlas Corps Fellowship provides individuals with a once in a lifetime opportunity of growing and developing their true potentials in their professions. This Fellowship not only acts as a professional development opportunity, but also provides a platform to network and interact with social change leaders around the world to broaden their perspectives enabling them to become social change leaders of the future. Thank you for providing me with this opportunity!
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Photos from CODE’s and Muneeb’s personal archive.
More about Atlas Corps
Atlas Corps partners with mission-driven organizations (nonprofit, private, and government) to facilitate a professional exchange program for the world’s best emerging social change leaders to live and serve during a 14-month, full-time Fellowship that begins remotely in their home country before transitioning to the United States. The Atlas Corps network currently includes more than 1,700+ professionals from 116 countries who have served at 400+ organizations.
Interested in becoming a Host Organization for an Atlas Corps Fellow? Fill out Host Interest Form.
